BAPTISMAL
REGENERATION
and
BIBLE
SALVATION"For by grace are ye saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves: it is
the gift of God: (9)Not of works, lest any
man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8,9)BAPTISMAL REGENERATION teaches that ritual, water
baptism secures the forgiveness of sins and marks
the moment at which the one being baptized is
"born again," or incorporated into the "Body of
Christ." It is generally understood to be the person's
"spiritual birthday," the rite by which he becomes a
"Christian." Is this belief consistent with what the
Bible says is true regarding God's salvation?
There is only one Gospel that must be pro-
claimed to a lost and dying world! Gal. 1:6-12. Yet, a
realistic look at the "Christian" scene today attests
to the fact that there are many "gospels" preached.
Each gives its own particular formula for what
people must do to be saved. While each of these
"gospels" claim that faith in Jesus Christ is impor-
tant, some add baptism or other "commandments"
as prerequisites to "the new birth."
There is also the widespread practice of "easy
believeism" whereby simple mental assent to the
"Lordship of Christ" is deemed sufficient to obtain
God's salvation (without even specifying what one
must believe about Jesus Christ in order to claim
Him as "Lord!"). The convicting and enlightening
ministry of the Holy Spirit through the clear, Bibli-
cal presentation of what God says one must believe
in order to be saved is totally disregarded by this
"numbers- oriented" form of evangelism.
A careful consideration of the Gospel as pre-
sented in the Bible is of tremendous importance.
The salvation of lost souls is at stake! If the message
we preach varies in the slightest from the revealed
truth of God's Word, then it is of Satan--not of God.
There is a sad tendency today among many profess-
ing Bible believers to accommodate those who em-
brace a false gospel, supposedly for the sake of
"unity" and "the spirit of love." It is necessary,
however, to stand firm on the Gospel of the Bible
which teaches that there is only one way of salva-
tion--and that by grace, through faith, alone!Proponents of Baptismal Regeneration
The Roman Catholic Church was one of the
earliest and most influential perpetrators of this
error. Roman Catholic teaching most certainly has
not changed in recent years either, nor has the
"Charismatic Catholic" departed one iota from the
belief that salvation is secured by ritual baptism into
the Roman Catholic Church: Vatican Council II
says, "The saving act of Jesus was applied to Mary in
the moment of her conception; to us in our bap-
tism..." (Lumen Gentium 1, 53); "...I have washed
you clean and given you new life, my life in baptism
[these were supposedly the words of Christ Him-
self]" (Prophecy from the 1988 Roman Catholic
Charismatic Conference at Notre Dame). Rome
teaches baptismal regeneration.
The Orthodox Churches also teach baptismal
regeneration: "Baptism is a new birth. It is being
born to the life made new by our Lord Jesus Christ.
It means to be alive in Christ... Through Holy
Baptism all become Christ's. We become Christians
and have the opportunity to inherit God's King-
dom... Why in the world would any parents who
claim to be Christians want to put off making their
offspring Christians as soon as possible? Don't they
want their infants to share in the Kingdom of God?
The baptized one becomes a member of Christ's
body--His Church" (Doctrine of the Russian Ortho-
dox Church, ONE CHURCH, 1981).
Mormonism says you must be baptized in
order to be saved: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, they
who believe not on your words, and are not baptized
in water in my name, for the remission of their sins,
that they may receive the Holy Ghost, shall be
damned, and shall not come into my Father's king-
dom where my Father and I am" (Mormon Doctrine
and Covenants, nos. 84:74).
Seventh Day Adventism teaches baptism is the
vehicle in procuring the forgiveness of sins: "Is it
necessary for a person to be baptized to be saved?
Answer: Yes, indeed! ... A Christian is a newborn
‘babe’ in Christ. This is why the experience or
conversion is called ‘the new birth.’ No past exists in
God's sight. It was buried in the watery grave of
baptism...." ("Buried and Forgotten by God!"; a
Seventh Day Adventist publication).
The Church of Christ, Episcopalians, and many
Lutherans hold the false doctrine of baptismal re-
generation in one form or another. The Jehovah's
Witnesses and many others could be added to this
number, many within Protestantism included.
These groups invariably equate membership
in their particular church with salvation itself. With
notable consistency, religious bodies which profess
to be "the one true church" incorporate ritual bap-
tism as an essential step in their "What must I do to
be saved" formula. It is claimed that by means of this
ceremony one is introduced into the membership of
the "church which alone can save."
Every believer who has shared the Gospel of
God's saving grace with a Catholic knows the com-
mon reaction: "Of course I believe in Christ as my
Saviour!" However, after further questioning, it
becomes obvious that "belief" in Christ is not their
sole confidence, for they believe that their continu-
ance in faithfulness to "the church" and the sacra-
ments of the church are also essential if there is to
be any hope of obtaining everlasting life. That kind
of "believing in Christ" is not the unconditional,
absolute faith that produces Bible salvation.Compromise Abounds
Efforts on the part of mainline Protestants and
even "evangelicals" who have historically subscribed
to "salvation by faith alone" to seek common ground
with groups such as those listed above have resulted
in a haziness with respect to the definition of the
Gospel message itself. They will seemingly go to any
length--even disregarding the essentials of the
Gospel message itself--in order to avoid offence and
make the baptismal regenerationist feel comfort-
able in Protestant/evangelical circles.
For example, notice the following representa-
tive statements from a few prominent religious
leaders of our day who supposedly represent churches
where "salvation by faith alone" is the standard.
Note how they lend credence to religious groups
such as those just mentioned which espouse the
false gospel of baptismal regeneration:
"In two short decades, we have moved from the
living room dialogue in which Protestants and Catho-
lics were just discovering one another to be Chris-
tian, to widespread recognition of one another's
baptism" (Dr. Arie Brouwer, former General Secre-
tary, National Council of Churches, spoken at the
1988 Arlington, Texas "Gathering of Christians").
TIME magazine for 10/27/61 printed the fol-
lowing quote by Dr. Billy Graham: "I still have some
personal problems in the matter of infant baptism,
but all of my children with the exception of the
youngest were baptized as infants. I do believe that
something happens at the baptism of an infant,
particularly if the parents are Christians... I believe
that a miracle can happen in these children so that
they are regenerated, that is, made Christian through
infant baptism."
Again, at Amsterdam '86, Graham revealed the
same strange thinking when asked by this writer
how churches from such a broad spectrum of be-
lief--those holding to a "works salvation" included--
could be brought together for joint evangelistic
outreach. Here is Graham's answer: "Evangelism is
about the only word we can unite on. ...Our meth-
ods would be different and there would be debates
over even the message sometimes, but there is no
debate over the fact that we need to evangelize. ...I
think there is an ecumenicity here that cannot [be
gotten] under any other umbrella."
Bill Bright, president of Campus Crusade for
Christ, gave a similar answer when we questioned
him about Roman Catholic and Orthodox involve-
ment at the Amsterdam '86 conference: "The Holy
Spirit of God is doing something unique in most
major denominations--Presbyterian, Baptist, Meth-
odist, Roman Catholic...In all denominations I think
there is a return to New Testament faith."
The basic difference between the gospel
preached by churches which advocate baptismal
regeneration and those which do not is being rubbed
out by today's evangelical leaders. This is a very
serious matter.What is Essential for Salvation?
What is essential for salvation? Faith alone or
faith plus water baptism, church membership, "good
works" or whatever? This is a tremendously impor-
tant consideration, for the "faith" of the former
cannot possibly be the same "faith" as the latter. The
sinner in need of salvation cannot be saved by a faith
which stands alone as the sole requisite to the new
birth, and also be saved by a faith to which another
step or steps must be added in order to obtain the
forgiveness of sins and the gift of everlasting life. To
err at this point is to be eternally lost regardless of
how sincere a person might be.
A principle regarding what God has done, and
what man must believe, is found in the sixth chapter
of John. The question asked of the Lord Jesus Christ
is one which many have asked through the centu-
ries: "What shall we do, that we might work the
works of God?" (John 6:28). Man naturally seeks to
do just that--do something! The natural assump-
tion is that good works, religious ceremony, church
membership or holy resolve will pave the way for
acceptance with God.
But notice the response of the Lord to the
question as to what is necessary to stand approved
before Almighty God: "This is the work of God, that
ye believe on him whom he hath sent." (John 6:29).
The answer is simple, yet full of deep and far-
reaching truth. It reveals the glorious fact that if a
sinner is to be translated from the kingdom of
darkness into the kingdom of light, then the opera-
tion will be accomplished solely as a work of God's
grace, apart from any meritorious effort on the part
of the lost. God has done the work--the sinner is to
receive by faith ("believe on him whom he hath
sent") what has been provided freely in Christ!
But those who add additional steps to salvation
claim that it is too easy to "just believe." They say,
"Don't you know ‘the devils also believe, and
tremble’?" (James 2:19). That is exactly the point!
There are two kinds of "believing." One is merely
intellectual, mental assent; the other is heartfelt
trust placed in Christ as the only Lord and Saviour.
Certainly the devils do not believe in the essential
way a sinner must trust the Lord Jesus Christ as his
only hope and confidence. The former is merely
recognition; the latter is absolute resignation. This
is precisely why a careful, Biblical distinction must
be made between the believing which saves and the
believing which requires the addition of works and
rituals to reach the desired end--salvation !
The Galatian believers were justified by faith,
not works (Gal. 2:16; 3:22). It was the "false breth-
ren" (Gal. 2:4), the Judaizers, who introduced the
additional requirements of keeping certain tenets of
the law in order to be saved. These false teachers
troubling the Galatians were errant in two areas.
First, they were trying to bring the believers in the
Church Age back under bondage to the Law of Moses
and, second, they were adding another step to "faith
alone" in order to partake of God's salvation.
Water baptism is a "good work," Biblically
defined. A "good work" seen in Scripture is simply
the saint's act of obedience to the revealed will of
God--it is doing something God has commanded
those who are already His children. The additional
requirements imposed by false teachers upon the
sinner who is invited by God to receive Christ Jesus
by faith is "another gospel"--a salvation by works--
and God's curse is unequivocally pronounced upon
it (Gal. 1:6-10)! The same is true for any supposed
gospel preached today which adds any step to salva-
tion by faith alone.
Paul wrote concerning those who espoused a
false gospel, "I would they were even cut off which
trouble you" (Gal. 5:12). That is a strong statement
to say the least, and it serves as a stern reminder to
us of the importance of the issue at hand, and how
consistently tenacious we must be in opposing those
who pervert the purity of the Gospel of Christ.
Grieved by this devilish pollution of the Gos-
pel, the Galatians were asked point blank when it
was that they had been saved, at what moment in
time they had in fact received the Holy Spirit and
had been born again by the power of God: "This only
would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the
works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?" (Gal.
3:2). The answer was obvious--God's gift of salva-
tion was received the moment they heard the word
of the Gospel and accepted its invitation. It was
certainly not as a result of doing any work.Faith and Works
Faith and works are mutually exclusive with
respect to the work of God in the regeneration of the
lost--"Now to him that worketh is the reward not
reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that
worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the
ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness"
(Rom. 4:4,5). "Therefore it is of faith, that it might
be by grace..." (Rom. 4:16). But never lose sight of
the fact that the faith which saves (as illustrated by
Abraham in Romans chapter four) is a living, vital
faith which always produces works in the life of the
believer after the fact of salvation.
This is illustrated by Abraham in the second
chapter of James. He had been declared a "Friend of
God" by faith alone years before his justification was
demonstrated by his works in obediently offering
Isaac upon the altar (James 2:14-26 cf. Rom. 4:1-21).
The supposed faith some "say" they have, but which
produces no fruit, is "dead, being alone" (James
2:17). That kind of "faith" will not save anyone!
But, dear reader, the confident, unconditional
faith that resulted in the justification of Abraham
before God is the same kind of faith which the sinner
must possess in order to have the righteousness of
Christ "imputed to him" the moment he believes
(Rom. 4:22-25; 2 Cor. 5:17-21). Upon "believing" the
reconciled sinner stands approved before God--not
because of good works or supposed merit, but be-
cause of the perfect righteousness of Christ credited
to his account.
The faith which results in Bible salvation is an
unconditional, absolute reliance upon the Lord as
the only Saviour with no confidence in anything or
anyone else. To the extent that salvation depends
upon believing on Christ plus any good work or
religious ceremony, it is no longer salvation by
grace alone apart from human effort. Anyone who
cannot distinguish between these two types of "faith"
undoubtedly is one who trusts something in addi-
tion to Christ to perform the salvation that He has
promised to "whosoever believeth[.]" The entire Bib-
lical exegesis of "saving faith" stresses absolute
reliance upon the finished work of Christ apart from
the works or supposed merit of man. The faith that
saves always produces fruit or good works in the life,
but this is always after the initial miracle of the new
birth effected by the power of God. Those who insist
on "believing and... in order to be saved" do not
have the "saving faith" of which the Bible speaks.
Remember too that salvation by faith alone in
the shed blood of Christ apart from "works" does not
result in carelessness in the life lived as a Christian.
The same grace which saves also enables the be-
liever to walk in obedience to the Word, and disci-
plines the disobedient child (Titus 2:11-15). Believ-
ing carries with it tremendous responsibility and
accountability before God. Most Biblical texts which
are twisted to infer that salvation from start to finish
is dependent on the "good works" of the redeemed
actually refer to God's faithful chastisement of the
rebellious child.
The careless Christian will experience loss of
blessing in this life and future reward which would
have accrued to him had his "works" stood the test
of fire (1 Cor. 3:13-15). At the "judgment seat of
Christ[,]" before which every Christian must stand,
the issue is not salvation, but rather the reward or
loss of reward with respect to the Christian's life and
service. Some will be saved "so as by fire"; saved, yes,
but lacking the reward for faithful service conse-
quent to experiencing saving faith.The Proper Place of Water Baptism
Satan is masterful in his efforts to confuse the
issue and obscure the clear demarcation between
salvation by grace alone and a salvation where
"works" are a necessary prerequisite. For example,
those who subscribe to baptismal regeneration are
quick to point out that the existence of so many
different denominations and independents must
imply a belief that there are a number of ways to be
saved. But such is simply not the case. Historically,
the major Protestant denominations have a rich
heritage of fidelity to the Bible with respect to their
understanding of justification by faith alone. The
distinctions from one group to another stem pri-
marily from differences in church polity, i.e., the
governmental administration of the local assembly
or assemblies of believers and not differences in
foundational doctrines, such as what constitutes
the work of God in the regeneration of the sinner.
Water baptism has been viewed by true believ-
ers as an outward testimony of the inward reality of
having already been "born again" by the power of
God. The moment the sinner trusts Christ as his
Saviour, he is [indwelt] by the Spirit of God
[...]. There is no salva-
tion for anyone who is not "in Christ," and this
spiritual regeneration takes place the moment the
lost sinner receives Christ by faith (John 1:12; 5:24).
All who are saved have received this [indwelling] which
God administers, not man.
Water baptism, on the other hand, is properly
understood to be an ordinance of the Church ad-
ministered only to those who have already been
saved. Baptism by immersion symbolizes what has
already been accomplished by God. The ordinances
(Baptism and the Lord's Supper) and "good works"
(obedience to the will of God as found in the Word of
God) are after the fact of regeneration and the result
of saving faith, not a means of saving grace. Salva-
tion cannot be conferred by any church, for the
church is but a fellowship of born again believers
who have already availed themselves of salvation in
the Lord Jesus Christ.
Someone who has been genuinely born again
by the Spirit of God will want to honour His Lord now
that he has new life in Christ. He should seek out and
be identified with a fundamental, Bible-believing
local church where he can grow and be nurtured by
the pastoral care and teaching provided there, and
receive encouragement and edification by others of
like precious faith (Eph. 4:11-16). Within that con-
text of the local church, there will be the opportu-
nity to receive Biblical believer's baptism (1 Cor.
1:13-16). In this text, Paul did not baptize all in the
Corinthian church, but others certainly must have;
the Corinthian's shortcomings did not negate the
fact that they were, indeed, baptized.
Also, the memorial service of the Lord's Sup-
per will be a continual reminder of the meaning of
Christ's broken body and shed blood, and that this
service is to be conducted "till he come" (1 Cor.
11:23-32). Yes, water baptism has its proper, and
important, place, but for the one who is already
saved, not for the one who has not yet been born
again; the latter needs to believe the Gospel and
receive God's salvation as a free gift. Baptism, in any
shape or form, cannot save anyone!We Have an Obligation
Always remember, whenever there is an op-
portunity to share the one true Gospel with those
who are trusting in their baptism, do so! They need
to be saved, and that does not come to pass by
arguing or debating extraneous doctrines or oddi-
ties of practice. They need to be told of the perfect
salvation that is offered through the Infinite Person
and completed work of the Lord Jesus Christ. The
Holy Spirit of God is able to take the pure Gospel of
God's grace and cause the needy hearer to under-
stand what it really means to believe only on the
Lord Jesus Christ to the saving of the soul.
Only the Spirit of God can take the Word and
enable the baptismal regenerationist to see how
utterly worthless is ritual baptism whereby the
communicant is supposedly introduced into the
"one true church," as contrasted with the glorious
operation of God in effecting the new birth from on
high the moment the sinner believes. The media-
tory function of a minister baptizing someone into
"the kingdom" is a sad counterfeit to say the least!
Argument will never convince one of a dissenting
opinion as to the blessed reality and certainty which
accompanies saving faith; God must reveal this to
them as the Gospel is faithfully spoken and the Word
of God is correctly taught.
Not only must the Gospel be faithfully pro-
claimed to those who oppose the essential doctrine
of justification by faith alone, but a stern word of
exhortation and warning must be given to those
who supposedly know the way of truth but who
compromise that truth. The liberal ecumenical
movement has brought about incredibly dangerous
theological compromises along this line and we
have an obligation to withstand such apostasy!
For example, a significant World Council of
Churches document entitled "Baptism, Eucharist
and Ministry" has sadly capitulated to the baptismal
regenerationist's position even though most of the
WCC member churches have historically stressed
salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone.
A representative quote from this doctrinal
study paper is as follows: "Through baptism, Chris-
tians are brought into union with Christ, with each
other, and with the Church of every time and place.
Our common baptism, which unites us to Christ in
faith, is thus a basic bond of unity." The driving
desire to bring the Roman Catholic Church into the
ecumenical sphere of organizational fellowship is
an obvious incentive for preparing such a docu-
ment. Also, it should be noted that in addition to
WCC members such as the Eastern Orthodox
Churches which already subscribe to baptismal re-
generation, the "Faith and Order Commission" that
composed this study had representatives from the
Seventh Day Adventists and the Roman Catholic
Church--no wonder the outcome!
But there were also Southern Baptists and
American Baptists on the WCC Faith and Order
Commission and they should have known better, or
should it be said, done better. The historic baptistic
position was totally discounted by those who should
have sounded a warning about the serious theologi-
cal ramifications of joining with those who preach
"another gospel[.]" The ecumenical movement is a
leavening blight to Biblical truth and no Bible be-
liever should have anything to do with it whatso-
ever! This is the sad consequence of compromised
fellowship--Spirit-wrought convictions become
nonexistent.Biblical Example of the New Birth
A brief look at the texts in the Bible where
water baptism is mentioned will reveal that faith
alone, without the added step of baptism, assures
the forgiveness of sin, the promise of the indwelling
Holy Spirit and the gift of everlasting life. A key text
is found in the tenth chapter of Acts where a straight-
forward example of the operation of God in the
regeneration of the sinner is recorded.
This is the account of the conversion of the
house of Cornelius as the apostle Peter preached
unto them the one pure Gospel of God's saving grace
through Christ. There is no possible way they were
already believers, since they had not yet heard the
Word of the Gospel which alone can save (Acts
10:6,33; 11:14-18; 15:7). Cornelius was religious but
lost; he was a devout proselyte to Judaism, but in
need of hearing the Good News that the righteous
demands of the Law had been met in Christ and that
salvation through Him was now available to Jew and
Gentile alike. Cornelius had to hear about Christ!
In Acts 10:34-43 God gives the details these
needy Gentiles had to hear and believe in order to be
saved. Peter preached Christ crucified and risen
again Who would be either Judge or Saviour to
sinful man. It was then that Peter gave the one
condition to receiving the free gift of salvation: "To
him [the Lord Jesus Christ] give all the prophets
witness, that through his name whosoever believeth
in him shall receive remission of sins" (vs. 43).
It was, "While Peter yet spake these words,
[the Gospel concerning the Perfect Person and
finished Work of Christ] the Holy Ghost fell on all
them which heard the word" (vs. 44). They all
believed and were saved at that very moment! How
do we know? Turn to Acts 15 and read carefully
verses six through eleven. Here we have the same
event viewed from God's perspective and we have
the Divine commentary on what took place in the
hearts of those who believed the Gospel and in so
doing, received the forgiveness of sin and the gift of
the Spirit. "And God, which knoweth the hearts,
bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, ...
purifying their hearts by faith." (Acts 15:8,9). Peter
did the preaching; the Gentiles heard and believed
(see John 5:24; Gal. 3:2); and God did the saving!
Now look back at Acts 10:45-48. It was after
they had received the gift of the Holy Spirit that they
were baptized. There is no possible way it could be
said that their sins were washed away in baptismal
waters since they were already in Christ. (see Rom.
8:9). The speaking in other languages was a sign to
the believing Jews present that these Gentiles had
now received what they had at Pentecost and were
now in God's New Creation [...]. Water
baptism was the outward witness to their identifica-
tion with Christ and with others of like precious
faith. Is water baptism a step in gaining salvation?
Absolutely not! This text which so clearly gives the
one basis of regeneration would have to be torn out
of the Bible if baptism was essential for salvation.
But praise the Lord such is not the case, and all who
have believed to the saving of their souls can rejoice
along with Peter, "...we believe that through the
grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved,
even as they" (Acts 15:11).Texts Often Used to Advance this Error
In Matthew 28:19-20, the commission is to
first "teach all nations[.]" The term rendered "teach"
in its root meaning is clearly distinguished to simply
mean "to make disciples." And how does one become
a disciple? By having the Gospel of Christ preached
unto him and having that message received by faith
(note John 1:12). These new disciples are then
baptized after salvation, and taught in the way of
truth. The same holds true for the parallel portion in
Mark 16:15-16. Once again, believing makes a dis-
ciple and the disciple is baptized afterward. It is he
who does not believe (and is, therefore, not a dis-
ciple) who shall be damned. He that believeth and is
baptized is the normal sequence. Studying the doc-
trine of regeneration in its Biblical context makes it
plain that baptism is "after the fact" of believing
unto salvation.
Acts 2:38 is another text which is often twisted
to refute the Biblical teaching of salvation by faith
alone. But once again we notice that "Repent[ance]"
precedes baptism. "repentance" as used with re-
spect to salvation is a wonderfully descriptive com-
plement to the kind of saving faith that is essential
for the salvation of the sinner. Here, repentance is
that change of mind whereby the individual is no
longer trusting in anything other than the full and
free salvation provided in Christ alone.
This belief is not just "head belief," but a
heartfelt faith which results in a turning from con-
fidence in self, religion, or anything else to Jesus
Christ Who alone can save to the uttermost. It is the
inward work of the Holy Spirit (John 6:44; 16:7-11)
whereby the sinner is convicted of his own inability
to do anything to save himself, and convinced of the
Saviour's perfect provision. He turns from faith in
all else, to unconditional trust and wholehearted
reliance upon the finished work of Christ.
It needs to be noted here also that being
baptized "for the remission of sins" is not in order to
obtain forgiveness of sins, but rather being baptized
"unto" or "in respect to" the remission of sins.
Baptism is always intended for the regenerated,
forgiven believer. The Ethiopian eunuch was per-
mitted water baptism only after the proper response
to the evangelist's inquiry, "If thou believest with all
thine heart, thou mayest." Don't get the "cart before
the horse" for the cart alone doesn't have the power
to get us anywhere.
Did Ananias supply Saul (later known as the
apostle Paul) with essential information concerning
the Gospel which was in addition to that which he
had received previously on the road to Damascus?
Was Ananias' instruction for Paul to be baptized,
"...and wash away thy sins" (Acts 22:12-16) to be a
part of the Gospel he was to preach from there on?
No! As mentioned above, Christian baptism was
administered to those who had already received the
Good News of salvation through faith in the cruci-
fied and risen Lord Jesus Christ. The subsequent rite
of baptism, therefore, bore testimony to that fact.
This is what Paul did.
Read carefully what the apostle actually had
revealed to him when he met the glorified Christ in
the way, when he received by direct revelation the
Gospel message itself (Gal. 1:11-12 cf. Acts 26:13-
18). He most certainly did not receive any part of the
message from man (this rules out what Ananias had
to add), and he states the Gospel in a nutshell when
he testified before king Agrippa. The message Christ
Jesus gave him on the road that day was the whole
Gospel of saving grace. It was the Good News which
would enable the one who hears and believes it to
"...receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance
among them which are sanctified by faith that is in
me." (Acts 26:18). The Gospel does not require water
baptism as a condition for the New Birth.
1 Peter 3:21 is another verse often used by the
baptismal regenerationist. But notice carefully the
actual wording and the context. Noah and his family
were not saved by the water, but from the water of
judgment. Their salvation came by being inside the
ark, the ark being a figure or a type of the believer's
salvation from judgment by being in Christ. In the
21st verse it says: "The like figure whereunto even
baptism doth also now save us[.]" Baptism is here
used to illustrate by way of a figure of speech the
operation of God which takes place inwardly upon
believing. The "figure" (baptism) speaks of our iden-
tification with Christ who does saved us--He was
the "ark" of Noah's salvation. The salvation the
sinner is afforded comes through His saving grace.
The rest of the verse bears this truth out; it's not the
putting away of the filth of the flesh (through cer-
emonial washings--a reference to Old Testament
ritual), but the answer of a good conscience toward
God. It is always heartfelt faith in the shed blood of
the Lamb and in His glorious, bodily resurrection
that renders the sinner justified before an all Holy
God! Rom. 10:9; Heb. 9:14.
Another text which is consistently twisted to
infer baptismal regeneration is John 3:1- 8. But
rather than teaching the need for baptism, it actu-
ally affirms the operation of God whereby the Holy
Spirit works in concert with the Word of the Gospel
to bring to pass the regeneration of the sinner from
on high. The two essentials for being born again are
"water" and the "Spirit" (John 3:5). The operation of
the Spirit is obviously essential in the spiritual new
birth of the believing sinner. But what about the
"water"? Is this baptism? Definitely not! "water" is
typical of the cleansing agent of the Word (Eph.
5:26). The Gospel as presented in the Word of God is
integrally linked to the Holy Spirit's work of regen-
eration within the heart of the one who believes.
Also, the "new birth" assumes the fact that there was
an initial human, natural birth, and many believe
the "water" in this particular text refers to the
natural birth--"That which is born of the flesh...";
"...can he enter the second time into his mother's
womb, and be born?" The "Spirit," on the other
hand, refers to the spiritual new birth. In either case,
"water" cannot be interpreted as baptism and, there-
fore, required in God's miraculous work of regen-
eration. God administers the new birth, not man.
The "washing of regeneration, and renew-
ing of the Holy Ghost" in Titus 3:5 speaks of the two-
fold function of the Holy Spirit of God using the
Gospel message contained in the Word to bring a
lost sinner to the place where he understands his
desperate need as a sinner, and then accepts--by
faith--God's glorious salvation in Christ to meet
that need. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that
heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent
me, hath everlasting life" (John 5:24). Here, again,
we see God doing the "washing" at the moment of
regeneration, in exactly the same way as detailed in
Acts 15:7-9 as mentioned previously, where God
saved the first Gentile converts, "...purifying their
hearts by faith." Faith, not baptism, is God's means
of cleansing all sin.
By no stretch of the imagination can ritual
baptism be equated to the term "water" used by itself
in texts in the Bible relating to the new birth;
nowhere is there found a direct connection which
brings these two terms--"water" and "baptism"--
together. For instance, in Eph. 5:26 and in 1 Pet.
1:23 the obvious connection is made between water
and the sanctifying--or cleansing--property of the
Word of God. Again in James 1:18 we have direct
identification with the function of the Word in the
miracle of the new birth: "Of his own will begat he
us with the word of truth[.]" The power of God is
manifest when a lost sinner trusts Jesus Christ as his
Saviour, a miraculous regeneration which God ac-
complishes apart from any ceremony (John 1:12).
What should be the response of believers today
when "baptismal regeneration" is taught or toler-
ated by so many different religious groups? The only
response to those who hold to this dangerous error
must be to present them with the pure Gospel of
God's saving grace. Then pray that the Holy Spirit
will so work in their hearts and minds that they will
indeed understand what it means to believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ alone and be saved. Acts 16:31;
Heb. 7:25. Preach that Gospel! Separate from all
those who proclaim any other! "But though we, or
an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto
you than that which we have preached unto you, let
him be accursed" (Gal. 1:8).-- Dennis W. Costella
F. E. A.
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