WATER BAPTISM: CAN IT SAVE THE SOUL?

Grace and peace be multiplied unto you in the knowledge of God and Christ our Savior. By request from the brethren, we write to you all today by the Spirit of God concerning the doctrine of water baptism. It is written in John 3:1-6 “ There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. 3Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, how can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit .” In the scriptures above, Nicodemus was told he had to be born of both water and the Spirit. What does this mean? Is the “water” as mentioned in the Scriptures above water baptism? According to the word of the Lord, this is NOT WATER BAPTISM. It is impossible for this to be water baptism. Why do we speak in this manner? Or rather say, what exactly does the Word of God say concerning being born of water and of the Spirit? We beseech you all to hearken and know that only what the Word of God says is the TRUTH and any other testimony contrary to the Word of God is FALSE and must not be embraced. Please open your hearts and receive understanding as we divide the word of truth concerning this.

To start with, all old testament saints were saved and born again WITHOUT literal water baptism (Heb 11, Rom 3:23-25, Heb 9:15, Rom 4, Gal 4:29, Jas 2:23, Psa 32:5, 103:3, Luke 1:70, Acts 3:21, Deut 32:18, 2 Pet 1:21), for God Himself said no one can see the kingdom of God without being born again (John 3:3). No one means "no one", i.e. "without exception". Apostle Paul makes it very clear in Heb 4:2 that Old Testament saints heard the gospel as we have heard it today. Some believed and lived unto holiness and were saved, some believed at first but eventually backslided and were lost, and some did not believe and were also lost. All Old Testament saints had the Holy Spirit in measure (not baptismal measure, which came through Christ at Pentecost (Matt 3:11, Acts 2:4) after He has ascended into Heaven). They also had spiritual gifts, and many blessings without water baptism (Psa 51:12, 1 Ki 3:12, 4:29-34, Num 11:17-29, Acts 3:21, Luke 1:15-17, 41, 46, 67, 2:25-38, Heb 11). Even our Lord Jesus Christ Himself forgave the sins of many men without water baptism (Matt 9:1-7, 22, Mark 5:34, 10:52, Luke 7:48, 17:19, 18:9-14, 19:1-9, John 4:49-53, 7:31, 8:30-31, 11:45, 12:11). Once a man’s sins are forgiven, he is saved because it is sin that separates man from God. Men have been baptized in the Holy Spirit without water baptism (Acts 9:17, 10:44-48, 11:14-18, 15:7-11). Christ Himself had no sin in Him, yet he was baptized of John. Why would Christ who is also in the Godhead be baptized in water when he had no sin in Him? Did Christ have any evil deed to repent of? Assuredly NO, for He was sinless (2 Corinth 5:21). But He was baptized still. Does this alone not show us that water baptism does not cleanse from sin? It is not meant to be, for baptism in literal water by itself has no power to cleanse from sin save the blood of Christ that cleanses from all sins. Christ was baptized in water to fulfill all righteousness. So likewise, we also should be baptized like Him.

So then, what is water baptism and what does it represent? It is only a "mere" figure (1 Pet 3:21) and a "witness" (1 John 5:6-10) to salvation, but not held as essential to salvation (1 Corinth 1:13-24, 15:1-5, Rom 1:16, 10:9-14, Eph 2:8-9, Acts 10:43, 16:31, John 3:14-18, 5:24, 1 John 5:1). Water is used in a "figurative" sense of salvation (John 4:14, Isa 12:3), of the Spirit baptism (John 7:37-39), and of cleansing by the Word of God (John 15:3, Eph 5:26). Since men are cleansed and born again by the Word of God (Jas 1:18, 1 Pet 1:23), it is very clear from the Word of the Lord that being born of water as written in John 3:5 means being born again by the Word of God. This is the true meaning of being born of water. If any man is not born of this water of the Word, he cannot be saved. He will eventually be lost for it is impossible for men to repent without the Word of God. If any man says otherwise and claims that this water is literal water, then it is impossible for Old Testament saints to be in Heaven for we have no record of any commandment in the Law of Moses that they should be baptized in water. Would this not make the word of God a lie? God forbid that His Word be a lie, for the Word of the Lord is TRUE forever. Yet, we know from the word of God that many Old Testament saints are in Heaven as we speak.

There was ritual washing in the Old Testament days but this is never water baptism. The root word for baptize and baptism is bapto, which means to dip, dip under, sink, dip in, immerse, plunge, and to cover wholly with liquid. This is absolute proof that all water baptism must be by immersion and not by sprinkling. Men must be fully immersed in water to identify with the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Pet 3:21). Water baptism does not and cannot forgive sins. Any man still living in sin and engaging in sinful pleasures MUST not be baptized in water. If he does, he does unto himself, not unto God. Baptism must identify with repentance. Men to be baptized must have fully repented of all sins. Yet still, baptism does not add to the salvation of any man that has fully repented of all sins and living holy unto the Lord (1 Corinth 1:13-21). It is not essential to true salvation but should be done at conversion to Christ to fulfill all righteousness.

It is also written in 1 Pet 3:18-22 “ For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: 19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; 20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. 21The 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: 22 Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him .” From this scripture, we understand that the like figure of baptism in water also saves us. How does it save us? Is it the water that saves us or the thing that the water is a figure of? Was it the water that saved the 8 persons of verse 20 in the days of Noah? Was it not the ark that saved them from drowning in the flood? So then, baptism in water does not save a sinful soul from eternal death, but faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ saves the soul from death (Rom 6:3-5, 1 Corinth 15:1-4, Eph 1:14, Col 1:20-22). This is what literal water baptism is a figure of. Apostle Peter, lest some should trust in water baptism makes it very clear that water baptism does not save one from the filth or moral depravity of the flesh. He declared that water baptism is the answer of a good conscience toward God, one that has been cleansed by faith in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Pet 3:21). It is clear from this scripture that at water baptism, the conscience is already supposed to be good and clean and baptism merely just answers to it (good conscience). As the waters of the flood of Noah could not have saved the 8 persons that survived the flood in the ark, so also, water baptism does not save the soul of anyone, but testifies figuratively to the salvation that comes by faith (Rom 1:16, 3:24-25, 10:9-10).

So then, how is a man born again? How is a man saved and washed from sin and the consequence of sin which is eternal death? The clear, right, and only answer is as written in 1 Pet 1:19-23. A man is born again and saved on the spot by: faith in the blood of Jesus Christ (Matt 26:28, Rom 3:24, 5:9, Eph 1:7, 2:13, Heb 9:14, 10:1-19, 1 John 1:7, Rev 1:5), faith in God through Christ (Eph 2:8-9, Heb 12:2), the Holy Spirit (John 3:1-5, 16:7-11, Rom 8:1-16, Eph 2:18), and THE WORD OF GOD (John 3:5, 15:3, Rom 1:16, Eph 5:26, Jas 1:18). This is how a man is born again. And thereafter, he must continue to be faithful to the Lord and His word, abstaining from sin and all manner of evil. He must remain pure and holy unto the end. Now we bessech you all to hearken to all these words and do them. Live holy and pure unto the Lord always. Be sober and watch unto prayer for the coming of the Lord is at the doors. Prepare, Watch and Be Ready. Grace be to you all. Amen.