Baptism: Which one is pertinent to us today?

Anytime you speak with someone about baptism they tend to assume that you must be talking about water baptism.  They usually don’t realize how many other baptisms are discussed in their Bible. If you’ve been on my website much, you may know that in one of my articles about this I’ve listed 14 different baptisms.  Here’s the link to the article with the list of these—

Baptism: What are we to believe about it?

But is there a baptism that’s to be performed today? Most church-goers would say there is but that’s where the controversy begins. The division in thinking is typically about when and how this baptism is to be performed. There’s even controversy about who should administer it.  Out of this has come the development of so many church denominations. What then frustrates so many is that all these people are pointing out Scripture they believe justifies their beliefs. So, what is someone to believe about this? This is why I wrote the above-mentioned article. What have YOU concluded about this subject? I think most people just accept whatever their parents happen to believe about it. But doesn’t this mean that because there’s so much controversy about it a lot of people must be wrong in their beliefs? They can’t ALL be right believing different things about it, can they? Of course not! ALL these people with such a variety of beliefs about this practice can’t all be right. It soon becomes clear that there’s not even a majority position on this subject. But what does our apostle Paul say about water baptism? Isn’t he OUR apostle today?

Romans 11:13

¹³ For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I [Paul] am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: [Emphasis added]

But doesn’t the church of today “magnify” Peter’s office instead? I even have articles about this on this website—

Paul:  Who exactly is this man to us?

Paul:  Do we make too much of him?

The controversy is such that it’s enough to frustrate anyone. I have no trouble at all in understanding that.

In your search for correct answers to all your questions, one of the most important things you’ll ever learn about this is to do with understanding exactly who the apostle Paul is to us and what is called the right division of Scripture. There, too, I have many articles about this. Here are links to some of them—

4Us2Us: What does this mean?

Bible: How should one study it?

Division: Why can’t Christians get along?

Paul: Who exactly is this man to us?

Paul: Do we make too much of him?

Peter & Paul: Was their message the same?

Paul: What’s so special about his teaching?

As with so many subjects, it is extremely important for believers today to know the teachings of the apostle Paul. So, what does he say about water baptism? I’ll mention here some passages that tend to be completely ignored or explained away about this.

1— 1 Corinthians 1:17

¹⁷ 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. [Emphasis added]

When was the last time you heard a preacher say God did not send or commission him to baptize? Won’t many of them then refer you to this next passage, claiming it is TO all of US today?

Matthew 28:19-20

¹⁹ Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

²⁰ Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. [Emphasis added]

Most of these people won’t refer you to Mark’s account of this event because all that’s said there isn’t a part of what they believe.  Of course, it isn’t what they should see as their commission, but they don’t fully understand WHY it isn’t.  And that’s because they don’t understand what is called the right division of Scripture.  If you’re not clear in your understanding of it either, please be sure to study my articles about all this—

Gospel: Is OUR gospel in “the four gospels?”

Gospel: Where did the apostle Paul get the one he preached?

Gospel: Which one is ours today?

It is this next passage with which so many have a hard time.  Many do not realize that Matthew 28:19-20 and what is in this next passage I’ll mention all occurred at the same time.  Then there are also those who claim that the last portion of this passage is not found in the “best” manuscripts of Scripture.  What they fail to see is that all the things mentioned in the last portion of this passage were all being practiced in the timeframe of the book of Acts. 

Mark 16:15-20

¹⁵ And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel [this is The Gospel of The Kingdom that is NOT our gospel today] to every creature.

¹⁶ He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

¹⁷ And these signs SHALL follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

¹⁸ They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

¹⁹ So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

²⁰ And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen. [Emphasis added]

Again, what you’ve just read above IS NOT our commission today.  What so many people fail to understand is that it was at the time of the salvation of the apostle Paul [Acts 9] that the commission for God’s people then changed.  It was in that later Acts period that God used the apostle Paul to present us with what is now our commission. It is this first feature of it that so many people have a problem accepting.

2— Ephesians 4:4-5

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, [Emphasis added]

OUR baptism today is the baptism of the Holy Spirit that puts us “in Christ” forever.  As believers we are now members [parts] of what is called the Body of Christ.  He would never deny us entry into Heaven because we have now become members of His body.

Ephesians 5:29-30

²⁹ For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

³⁰ For WE are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. [Emphasis added]

But what is this ONE baptism that Paul speaks of so often? As you’ll see here, it is the baptism of the Holy Spirit—

3— 1 Corinthians 12:13

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. [Emphasis added]

It is this one “dry” baptism of the Spirit that Paul talks about extensively in his writings that is our ONE baptism today. I’ll here provide a few of those many places where he mentions it.

Romans 6:3-4

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. [Emphasis added]

There are those who would say this is talking about water baptism.  But, no, that’s not what he’s talking about! This is a DRY baptism where EVERY believer in our time is baptized BY the Holy Spirit and entered into a permanent union with Jesus Christ. To say that we’re baptized into Christ is to say that we’ve been permanently identified with Him. There’s not one drop of water mentioned anywhere in Romans 6 where this is discussed so extensively.  There and in his other writings Paul is talking about the baptism OF the HOLY SPIRIT that, again, does not involve water at all. The same is true about nearly all Paul’s comments about it.  Here are some other examples of that—

Galatians 3:27-28

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. [Emphasis added]

At this point some people will want to say this— “Please don’t confuse me with all these facts.” Others may say, “But didn’t Paul do some water baptizing of some people himself?” Yes! He certainly did! But what are his comments about it?

1 Corinthians 1:14-17

¹⁴ I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius;

¹⁵ Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name.

¹⁶ And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other.

Then notice what he says next as to why he had baptized so few—

¹⁷ 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. [Emphasis added]

Here are a few questions people need to answer—

1—When he says he was NOT sent to baptize, isn’t he speaking of his own commission as the apostle of the Gentiles?

2—When was the last time you heard a preacher say he was not commissioned to baptize?

3—Don’t most preachers today believe that water baptism is a part of their commission?

4—Isn’t the apostle Paul telling us that the only valid baptism today is the one the Holy Spirit administers when a person accepts the gospel of grace and is saved?

1 Corinthians 12:13

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. [Emphasis added]

5—Doesn’t this baptism of the Spirit provide every believer with a position of everlasting security in his salvation?

1 Corinthians 12:14-16

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? [Emphasis added]

Again, all this points out our complete security in our relationship with Christ.  We are now saved forever.  He will never disown us! Our conduct never affects our relationship. This is plainly seen when you consider the carnality of the believers in the Corinthian church Paul addresses. We were saved once, and we’ll never need to be saved again. This is true for us as it was for all the members of the extremely sinful Corinthian church.

1 Corinthians 3:1-3

¹ And I, brethren [brothers and sisters in Christ], could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal [people living under the control of their sinful nature], even as unto babes [immature believers] in Christ.

² I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

³ For ye ARE yet carnal: for whereas THERE IS among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men [meaning they were thinking and acting just like unbelievers]? [Emphasis added]

You probably can’t name a sin these believers, these “saints” in this church weren’t committing. Like believers today they were all united with Christ through this baptism of the Holy Spirit, but they all still had a sinful nature. It was when they were saved that they were set apart as God’s people becoming what are referred to in the Bible as saints.

1 Corinthians 1:1-2

¹ Paul called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,

² Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be [The Greek text from which this was translated does not have these two words.  They were mistakenly added by the translators.] saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both their’s and our’s: [Emphasis added]

For more information about sanctification, please see my article about it—

Sanctification: What does it mean?

Water baptism is today a meaningless ritual. It is the baptism of the Spirit for all believers that is firmly in place today.  It is that baptism that is the “one baptism” the apostle Paul speaks of as ours today.

No, these Corinthian believers weren’t thinking and acting like saints should but that didn’t change their position in Christ as God’s people.  Never be fooled by false traditions about this or anything else. The situation today is much as it was in the time of our Lord’s earthly ministry when He warned His disciples about doing this.

Matthew 15:3

³ But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? [Emphasis added]

Again, Ephesians 4:5

⁵ One Lord, one faith, ONE baptism, [Emphasis added]

I always want to ask these people a simple question—What is there about ONE that you don’t understand? God recognizes just ONE baptism today—the baptism of the Holy Spirt. I realize that this may be a surprise to a lot of people, but God is NOT pleased with any of the water baptism practices of our time.  Not any of them! People are typically sincere in what they believe about such things, but God is not pleased with anything that is in violation of His policies. That’s why we have commands such as this one—

2 Timothy 2:15-16

¹⁵ Study [SPOUDAZO = be diligent] to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

¹⁶ But shun profane and vain babblings [KENOPHONIA = discussion on useless subjects]: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. [Emphasis added]

If you’ll be diligent in your study of what the Bible says about baptism, you’ll come to have a knowledge of the truth about it.