Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Does Water Baptism Save You?



There are several "Christian" blogs out there in cyberspace that are preaching and teaching false doctrines regarding Salvation. I feel that it is necessary to post what the Word of God has to say about baptism and whether it is a necessary prerequisite for your salvation.

The below quotation from the Reformation Study Bible shows the scriptures from God's Word regarding Christian baptism:

“Christian baptism, which has the form of a ceremonial washing (like John’s pre-Christian baptism), is a sign from God that signifies inward cleansing and remission of sins (Acts 22:16; 1 Corinthians 6:11; Ephesians 5:25-27), Spirit-wrought regeneration and new life (Titus 3:5), and the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit as God’s seal testifying and guaranteeing that one will be kept safe in Christ forever (1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 1:13-14). Fundamentally, Baptism signifies union with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection (Romans 6:3-7; Colossians 2:11-12), and this union with Christ is the source of every element in our salvation (1 John 5:11-12). Receiving the sign of baptism in faith assures those baptized that God’s gift of new life in Christ is freely given to them. At the same time, it commits them to live in a new way as disciples of Jesus.”


Water baptism is not necessary for salvation. It is the initiatory sign and seal into the covenant of grace. As circumcision referred to the cutting away of sin and to a change of heart (Deut. 10:16; 30:6; Jer. 4:4; 9:25,26; Ezk.44:7,9) baptism refers to the washing away of sin (Acts 2:38; 1 Pet. 3:21; Tit. 3:5) and to spiritual renewal (Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:11-12). The circumcision of the heart is signified by the circumcision of the flesh, that is, baptism (Col. 2:11-12).

We get to heaven by God’s grace through a genuine living faith in Jesus. The view that water touching skin is what saves us is a superficial view of the doctrine of salvation. Requirements of a “proper” baptism are not biblical and are a mark of legalism—especially when combined with other works requirements. However, anyone who refuses to be baptized probably does not have a genuine faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

One last thought: If someone maintains that baptism is necessary for salvation, is he adding a work, his own, to the finished work of Christ? If the answer is yes, then that person would be in terrible risk of not being saved. If the answer is no, then why is baptism maintained as being necessary the same way as the Jews maintained that works were necessary?

52 comments:

Grace on the Narrow Path said...

The thief on the cross was not baptised. Our Saviour told the thief that he would be in heaven with HIM. I agree baptism is simply a way of showing our faith and establishing our walk with Christ.
Bren

Jill said...

Christians go round and round about these sorts of topics. I believe Christians will be baptized as an act of obedience. Why would they want to deny themselves this spiritual rebirth and renewal in Christ Jesus, even if, ultimately, our salvation comes through the grace of Jesus Christ and not through any act of our own? Our spirits should long for this! I look back fondly on my own baptism. It was a beautiful moment in my life.

Anonymous said...

Great post! I am glad I am not the only one out in cyberland who believes that baptism is not required for salvation. We should be baptized, but it does not save us.

Donald Fishgrab said...

Excellent post on Baptism, It is commanded, but as is often ignored in Acts 2:38, for has more than one usage. For example to say i left my car for repairs is different than saying a man went to prison for murder.

Good job.

Terri said...

I'm hearing the truth spoken in love here.

Debbie Petras said...

I agree with you. Water baptism is a public commitment to the Lord but it doesn't save you. People have accepted the Lord on their deathbed and never had the opportunity to be baptized.

A Busy Single Mom said...

Excellent post!

Chris said...

Baptism alone does not save but"he that believes and is baptized will be save". Nice blog Thank you for your visit to my blog and comments.I have a lot of anti-Christians that post on my blog and could use some help some times. I do feel like I'm making headway with some of them. Liberals are hard nuts to crack as many of them are fallen Christians that believe what the History Ch. says about Jesus and history.

Brittany Engebretsen said...

Great post! So true! We are saved by faith, not by works. However, when we become saved, we will have the desire (or at least conviction) to do works for the Lord. I believe baptism falls into this category. We become saved by faith in the Lord, but then we CHOOSE to be baptized as an act of love and devotion to our Father, just as we would begin to read the word and pray. Good post! Keep 'em coming! :)

Anonymous said...

Oh my, Lloyd, you are one brave teacher and warrior of truth. May the Lord continue to use you as His special vessel across this place. There is much confusion on this subject as you mention here. You know where I stand. I'm saved by grace and don't treat it as meaningless. It is not for salvation that I was baptized in water but out of love and gratitude because grace saved me. Love compelled me to an external act representing an internal one which had already taken place. I was saved when I went in the water, not when I came out. Oh yes, it was a joyous occasion but not one I felt obligated to do to receive anything that Christ did not accomplish on the cross. It was a joyous occasion because I had already received all that He died and rose for. Maybe if we looked at water baptism as a celebration of our salvation, it would be so much more pleasing to our Savior.

I'll shar something that happened to my husband in a nutshell. He was coming out of church one day last year and wondered about water baptism and looked on at the people who had been baptized that morning. I was not there that morning but he shared how he prayed to God that he wished he would be baptized but was not too comfortable with the ceremony. It was a perfectly sunny day, not a cloud in the crystal blue sky. As he finished his prayer and walked out the door to a sunny day, between the building and his car, suddenly a cloud followed him and drenched him with rain from head to toe and as quickly disappeared. I hope this blesses someone because it sure made me jump for joy that day when he came home and shared.

texlahoma said...

Sorry to make an off topic comment right off the bat, but the picture do you know where it was taken?
It looks just like the South side of the Arbuckle Mountains North of Ardmore, Oklahoma.

Philip Miller said...

Enjoyed reading your post and agree with the Reformational teaching that salvation is byfaith alone through grace alone in Christ to the glory of God alone. If you ever want to tackle an interesting but helpful study, study the different modes of baptism that different groups practice and the different views of justification that they represent.

Btw, enjoyed listening to the hymn while on your site. It's one of my favorites.

MTJ said...

Hi Lloyd,

Did circumcision enhance the Jew's spiritual position with God? If it did then the bible should praise it instead of revealing that it counts for nothing. If baptism equates to salvation, then what do we do with grace?

Unless I misunderstand it, we are saved by grace and not by works.

This is not a chicken/egg scenario.

Blessings and peace brother.

MTJ

Johnny said...

Great word. Aloha from Honolulu, Hawaii

Amrita said...

Dear Lloyd, thank you for visiting, commenting an d following my blog.

I appreciate your blog with its Bible based solid teaching. Shine the Light.

I am your latest follower.

Grace and peace from India

Unknown said...

The Necessity of Baptism

Christians have always interpreted the Bible literally when it declares, "Baptism . . . now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 3:21; cf. Acts 2:38, 22:16, Rom. 6:3–4, Col. 2:11–12).

Thus the early Church Fathers wrote in the Nicene Creed (A.D. 381), "We believe in one baptism for the forgiveness of sins."

And the Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "The Lord himself affirms that baptism is necessary for salvation [John 3:5]. . . . Baptism is necessary for salvation for those to whom the Gospel has been proclaimed and who have had the possibility of asking for this sacrament [Mark 16:16]" (CCC 1257).

Nadwrażliwiec said...

I live in country, where most of people are baptised as children - so teaching about biblical water baptism is very important here. But I agree with Your note - some people think, that if they are baptised by biblical way, that signs that they are safe. But the evil doesn't sleep and is like lion, which want to eat even choosen. Church and baptism will not safe anyone, but onlu God's grace and faith. Best wishes!

Denise said...

Thanks for speaking truth.

Lou said...

I love this post!


I believe that baptism is important-- that is the physical act of proclaiming faith in Christ before others-- and is a huge step in humbling ourselves before Him. But it isn't neccesary for salvation, but being baptized in the Spirit is... that is receiving the Holy Spirit at the time of acceptance of Christ as Savior and King. The physical act of going under water and coming back up is symbolic of being re-born through Christ, but the actual re-birth happens at the point of acceptance and repentance.

If Jesus truly meant in John 3 that Baptism by water was neccesary for salvation, then the Word contradicts itself in Luke 23, when he proclaims that the criminal on the cross next to him will join him in paradise. And we know that the Word is pure and true, it does not contradict itself (Pr 30).

Great post Lloyd. Something that truly speaks to my heart.
Blessings,
Lou

Sidney Alves Amaral said...

Olá Lloyd, obrigado por seguir meu blog, Sei que você ama ao Senhor Jesus, e isto é o que nos une.
God bless you.
Um grande abraço,
No amor de Cristo,
Sidney

Solid Rock or Sinking Sand said...

Bren: Thank you for your visit and comments. There is always a lot of debate concerning the thief on the cross, but the bottom line is this. We are saved by God's grace and not by works.

Jill: You are "right on" regarding being baptized. Thank you so much for your visit and comments.

GodThinker: Thank you for your visit and comments. You can be sure that there are many out there in cyberland who believe the truth of salvation. God bless.

Dfish and Terri: Thank you for your visit and comments. Dfish, I would like to hear you comments on my sidebar "Baptism and Acts 2:38" .

Debbie: Thank you for your visit and comments. What an awful burden to have a belief that baptism was required before being saved if your loved one was dying and couldn't make it to the water.

Chris: Thank you for your visit and comment. The only thing that saves a sinner is an intimate relationship with our Lord Jesus. We must repent of our sins and accept Him as our Savior and Lord. If we do this we will be saved. Then, because of obedience and love we want to be baptized to show the world that we are His. I will keep you in prayer for the wisdom and courage needed to witness to the world on you blog. God bless.

Brittany: Thank you so much for your visit and comments. I couldn't have said it any clearer myself.

One Heart: Thank you my friend in Christ for the visit and comments. Sometimes we need to step up and let the world (cyberspace) know what the truth of the Gospel is. God's word will never return void. What a witness your husband is on baptism. Sometimes God uses the forces of nature to get our attention. Thank you so much for sharing this with us. God bless.

Texlahoma: Thank you for your visit. The photograph on my blog was taken in South Dakota while my wife and I were vacationing last year. I never did get the name of the mountain range in the background.

Philip: Thank you for your visit and comments. I have studied the different modes of baptism and became more confused than when I studied the different Christian denominations that exsist throughout the world. I also love "The Solid Rock" hymn, which goes nicely with the name of my blog.

MTJ: Thank you for your visit and comments. Circumcision was the covenant seal for the Jew's as is baptism is the covenant seal for Christians. As far as these two covenant seals enhancing the spiritual position with God? I don't know....I do know, however, that we are saved by grace and not by works. God bless.

Johnny and Amrita: Thank you so much for your visit and comments. I am humbled that this blog was enlightening for you. Glory be to the Lord God Almighty. Amen.

Michael: I want to thank you for your visit and comments. I can see that you are a Roman Catholic with strong convictions regarding your believes in the Catechisms and the RCC. I respect your view point, however, as you can see by the posts on my blog, I am not a member of the RCC. This being said, I believe that we both have a strong and loving faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you again for your visit. May God continue to bless you.

Zimbabwe and Denise: Thank you so much for your visit and comments. Zimbabwe -- What country do you live in? You are "right on" about evil (Devil) does not sleep and prowls around like a roaring lion. God's blessings too you.

Lou: Thank you for your visit and comments. Sometimes it is so hard for people to understand how easy God has made it for mankind to be saved. Like the religious leaders in the first century, we think that we need to add to God's plan of salvation or we try to make it so difficult that we put stumbling blocks in front of the lost souls because they feel they can never live up to "our" standards. God bless.

Solid Rock or Sinking Sand said...

Sidney: Thank you so much for your visit and comments. It is so true that we are all united together in Christ Jesus our Lord. God's blessings too you.

Celestina Marie said...

Hi Lloyd,
Thank you for speaking the truth.
We are saved and born again by grace, knowing that our Lord and Savior died for our sins so that we may enter His Kingdom. To be Baptized in Christ is the beginning of our walk in Faith. Important, yes, but it does not save us.

Thank you for sharing and becomeing a new follower on my studio blog.
Have a blessed day.
Celestina Marie

Nadwrażliwiec said...

I live in Poland :) But I know, that other European countries have this same problem (I know about Great Britain, where even baptists made tradition from water baptism). Thank You! I wish You many God's blessings.

Alicia Tags said...

Hi! Thanks for stopping by my blog. I look forward to reading yours as well. God bless!

Teresa @ ♥ Too Many Heartbeats ♥ said...

Lloyd,

I'm so glad you stopped by my blog today and left such a nice comment! I truly appreciate it and I'm glad it lead me to your blog. It is amazing and I'm so glad to find it is filled with the Lord's Truth. This post is SPOT ON and I'm so glad to see how well you explained things and then backed them up with scripture. May our Lord bless you as you spread His Love and Truth.

I hope you will visit me again very soon. I will definitely be back to see you again, too!

Blessings,

Teresa <><

Gregg Metcalf said...

Good job Lloyd! Baptism, as important as it is, and it is important does not save.

Glory to God said...

I, too, have been deeply disturbed by the "Christian" blogs that are putting emphasis on baptism as part of salvation. My heart literally goes out to people who are misled by this false doctrine.

We all need to learn and understand, as with everything in life, salvation begins and ends with Jesus. We can do nothing.

I truly appreciate you taking a bold stance on this issue and pray that this places a profound impression on those who would otherwise be misled.

God bless!

Kim B said...

Thanks for coming by to visit my blog. I will be stopping by your blog too. I love the Lord and try each day to learn more about him and his word. There are always conflicting opinions about the bible and people who want it to say what they want. Thanks for sharing.

Sr Crystal Mary Lindsey said...

Amen Lloyd, you always put everthing so well. Bless you.

Solid Rock or Sinking Sand said...

Celestina Marie: Thank you for your visit and kind comments. The Bible tells us that the truth will set us free. It is my prayer that all lost souls who read this blog with be set free. Blessings too you.

Zimbabwe: Poland is a long way off from Oregon, USA. Isn't it great to be able to talk about the Lord to another believer on the other side of the world? Thank God for the internet. Unfortunately too many churches (denominations) begin to treat tradition as if it were the Word of God. There are actually churches out there that believe that they are the "ONLY TRUE" church on earth and that if you are not a "member" of their organization then you are not saved. God's blessings too you.

Alicia and Crystal Mary: Thank you both for dropping by and leaving such encouraging comments. Bless you.

Teresa: Thank you so much for your visit and comments. I try to back up everything that I post with the Word of God. I give all credit to my Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus, who died for me and who has set me free. God's blessings too you.

Gregg: Thank you Gregg for your visit. Your comments mean a lot to me. If this post teaches anything, let it teach that our Almighty God wants all (world) to come to Him, but only through His Son Christ Jesus. Then, when we receive the Holy Spirit within us, we will rejoice and want to follow Jesus and be obedient too Him by being baptized into the family of God. Blessings too you.

Dean: Thank you for your visit and comments. All true believers should stand up against false religious beliefs and false doctrines. The Word of God should never be "watered down" or "interrupted" just to satisfy man's wisdom on the truth of the gospel. False teachings on Eternal Life with our Lord is way too important and cannot be ignored or condoned. Blessings too you.

Agypsyangel: Thank you so much for dropping by. You are right, that there are a lot of conflicting opinions about what the Bible says. I can only tell you that being a Child of God, you now have the Spirit of Truth (Holy Spirit) to help you discern the truth when you read and meditate on God's Word. We also have other believers in Christ (church) to help us understand holy scripture. Just remember, God speaks through His Word and through His Church - And since the perfect God cannot be the source of confusion (I Cor. 14:33) or contradiction (Heb. 6:18), it must be acknowledged that the Bible is perfectly harmonious.

Tracy said...

I appreciate this post. Because whenever we say anything in addition to our faith in Christ and choosing to surrender our lives to following after Him is necessary for our salvation, we cheapen the work of Christ on the Cross. The reason it's the good news is because we do NOTHING to earn this great salvation that He gives us; the Word even tells us that He gives us the faith to believe.

Veronica said...

I am so happy you shared your blog with me. I look forward to reading your posts! God Bless.
Veronica

INSIDE THE SHRINK said...

I respect and appreciate your taking the time to address this issue of baptism. We are commanded by Jesus himself to be baptized as a public confession of our faith in Christ and the complete work of salvation He offers us. Baptism is not necessary to be saved, but it is necessary to obey and make our salvation public by being baptized. Thanks so much Lloyd. God bless, Bobbi

Duane Scott said...

You are right. I appreciate this post. More bloggers need to be willing to tell the truth. Good thoughts!

Hold my hand: a social worker's blog said...

Lloyd,
I always enjoy seeing you around, visiting other blogs, and respect and admire your teachings.
Blessings.

Doris Plaster

Jenna said...

I totally agree with this post, I'm glad you gave me some scripture to use to explain my views! Have a beautiful Thursday!

Solid Rock or Sinking Sand said...

Tracy - Thank you for your visit and comments. You are right that we are saved by God's grace alone and not by our works. God bless.

DeanO - Yes my friend in Christ, I realize that this is a "Hotly debated" topic, but my heart really goes out to those poor souls that add to God's free gift of salvation because it only causes them further worries. Thank you for the scriptures from God's Word. God bless.

Veronica and Duane Scott - I want to thank each of you for your visit and comments. If you ever read anything on this blog that you feel is not biblical, please let me know. God bless.

Bobbi - Thank you for your visit and kind words of encouragement. You are right on in what you say about baptism. God bless you.

Doris - Thank you for the visit and gracious comments. I also enjoy being a follower of your blog and admire your writings. God bless.

Jenna - Thank you for the visit and comment. I always like to show scripture to back up all of the posts dealing with God's Word. May our Lord continue to work through you while you go out and talk with others about God's free gift of Salvation.

Unknown said...

Lloyd said...
You are right that we are saved by God's grace alone and not by our works.

Dear Lloyd,
"Together we confess: By grace alone, in faith in Christ's saving work and not because of any merit on our part, we are accepted by GOD and receive the Holy Spirit, who renews our hearts while equipping and calling us to good works."

This is a Joint Declaration on Justification (Salvation) by faith, paragraph 15. This joint declaration was agreed upon by the Catholic and Lutheran Churches in 1999 after 33 years of discussion.

Solid Rock or Sinking Sand said...

Michael – I want to thank you again for your visit and expressing your religious believe. I say this in the love of our Lord Jesus that the only one that guides me when I read God’s Word is the Holy Spirit. All of the Creeds, Joint Declarations and other religious books are fine, just as long as the reader realizes that the final authority is God’s Word (Bible) and not the RCC.

I would love to talk with you about our Lord Jesus as long as we are on the same “playing field” as far as what authority is sited as reference. If it is the Holy Bible only, then you are welcome to debate. As you can see, this is not a RCC blog so I will not use it to send out the wrong signals to an unbeliever or new believer. God’s blessings in your ministry to Him.

Anonymous said...

Thank God for what Jesus did for us at Calvary. The preaching of the cross is the power of God unto Salvation. Jesus said that if He be lifted up He would drawn all unto Him. He is the Way , the Truth and the Life and no one comes to the Father except through Him. Not by works of righteousness that we have done but by His grace we are saved through faith. If we confess with our mouth and believe in are hearts that Jesus Christ is LORD & that God raised Him from the dead - we will be saved. To as many as received Him, JESUS, to them gave He power to become the children of God. Amazing grace - how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me !! May grace be multiplied to us as we go forward on the journey to the place that He has prepared for us. In Him, we live & move & have our being !!!!

mlculwell said...

The Thief was still under the Law he was saved because the One God of Heaven under the law before he died and brought in the New covenant said; "this day shalt thou be with me in Paradise."

Jesus told his disciples whose soever sins you remit they are remitted unto you.(John 20:23) the reformed try and hide that with nonsense arguments. wake and up and be Baptized in Jesus name!

Solid Rock or Sinking Sand said...

mlculwell - First of all I would like to thank you for your visit and expressing your personal opinion regarding water baptism. Instead of debating with you regarding the doctrine of baptismal regeneration, I would like to invite you to visit the side-bar of this blog where I have laid out all of the biblical defense necessary to show that this doctrine is a false teaching. I want to thank you again for visiting my blog. God bless, Lloyd

The Christian Conservative Mom said...

I just read another blog about this and I must admit-I have never heard a sermon on water Baptism being a saving action. Obviously it exists since there is so much discussion about it, but Baptism to me will always be an outside sign of an inner change, although in the new Testament it appears that some people were baptized and then were saved. Either way it's about obedience more than it's about the work and I'd take obedience to God any day over works. :)

Solid Rock or Sinking Sand said...

The Witty Patriot - I want to thank you for your visit and comments. There are a few scriptures in the Holy Bible that baptismal regenerationists (churches of Christ, Roman Catholic Church etc.) attempt to show that water baptism is necessary for salvation. However, there are even more scriptures that are clearly supporting salvation is obtained through faith and believe in Christ alone and not by anything we can do (works). Refer to my side bar on baptism. Blessings.

Mary said...

Paul said that he did not come to baptize, but to preach the Gospel, indicating that baptism is not part of the Gospel.

Summers School said...

Why else would Christ have been baptized if he wasn't going to require it of us?

Solid Rock or Sinking Sand said...

Summers School - I want to thank you for your visit and comments. As you probably already read in all of the comments to this post and also my sidebar on baptism, it is not necessary for salvation. It is the initiatory sign and seal into the covenant of grace. As circumcision referred to the cutting away of sin and to a change of heart (Deut. 10:16; 30:6; Jer. 4:4; 9:25,26; Ezk.44:7,9) baptism refers to the washing away of sin (Acts 2:38; 1 Pet. 3:21; Tit. 3:5) and to spiritual renewal (Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:11-12). The circumcision of the heart is signified by the circumcision of the flesh, that is, baptism (Col. 2:11-12).

In the ancient world of religious plurality in Roman gods, in the strict Laws of the Jewish system, and in the gods of different cultures, to be baptized was to make a bold statement of commitment to Christ as the risen Lord. It was not the water that saved, but faith in Christ and His work. As Christians we want to be baptized to show our obedience to our Lord and Savior.

I hope this was helpful in understanding what baptism is all about.

Gary said...

Baptists and evangelicals are absolutely correct...there is no SPECIFIC mention in the New Testament that the Apostles baptized infants. There are references to entire households being converted and baptized, but we orthodox cannot prove, just from Scripture, that these households had infants, and neither can Baptists and evangelicals prove, just from Scripture, that they did not.



One interesting point that Baptists/evangelicals should note is that although there is no specific mention of infant baptism in the Bible...neither is there a prohibition of infant baptism in the Bible. Christians are commanded by Christ to go into all the world and preach the Gospel and to baptize all nations. No age restrictions are mentioned. If Christ had intended his followers to understand that infants could not be baptized in the New Covenant, in a household conversion process as was the practice of the Jews of Christ's day in converting Gentile households to the Covenant of Abraham, it is strange that no mention is made of this prohibition.



So, the only real way to find out if Infant Baptism was practiced by the Apostles is to look at the writings of the early Christians, some of whom were disciples of the Apostles, such as Polycarp, and see what they said on this issue.



And here is a key point: Infant Baptism makes absolutely no sense if you believe that sinners can and must make an informed, mature decision to believe in order to be saved. Infants cannot make informed, mature decisions, so if this is the correct Doctrine of Justification/Salvation, Infant Baptism is clearly false teaching. But the (arminian) Baptist/evangelical Doctrine of Justification/Salvation is unscriptural. Being forced to make a decision to obtain a gift, makes the gift no longer free. This is salvation by works.



Baptism is a command of God. It is not a work of man. God says in plain, simple language, in multiple locations in the Bible, that he saves/forgives sins in Baptism. We orthodox Christians accept God's literal Word. We take our infants to be baptized because God says to do it. Our infants are not saved because we perform the act of bringing them to the baptismal font...they are saved by the power of God's Word pronounced at the time of the Baptism. Christians have believed this for 2,000 years!



There is no evidence that any Christian in the early Church believed that sinners are saved by making a free will decision and then are baptized solely as a public profession of faith. None.

Gary
Luther, Baptists, and Evangelicals

Solid Rock or Sinking Sand said...

Thank you Gary for your comments concerning water baptism. There will always be heated debates regarding the subject of whether water baptism is required to be saved. This may be one of those topics that no one will agree and know for SURE until we get to heaven. And, I am betting when we are there with our Lord Christ Jesus, it really won't matter who was right.

God's blessings to you again my friend.

Steve Finnell said...

ACTS 2:38 FICTIONALIZED
Why do men fictionalize Scriptures rather than reading them and believing them? I will let you reach your own conclusion as to the answer. What is is purpose of water baptism according to Acts 2:38?

FOUR TRANSLATIONS OF THE BIBLE ACTS 2:38
1. Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, "Repent and each of you bebaptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (New American Standard Bible)

2. Acts 2:38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible New International Version 1983)

3. Acts 2:38 The Peter said unto them,Let each of of you repent and be immersed, in the name of Jesus Christ, in order to the remission of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ) The Better Version of the New Testament by Chester Estes)

4. Acts 2:38 Peter told them, "You must repent and every one of you must be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ, so that you may have your sins forgiven and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (The New Testament in Modern English by J.B. Phillips)

THE FOLLOWING ARE FICTIONALIZED VERSIONS OF ACTS 2:38

1. Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized because your sins have already been forgiven. (Fictional Account)

2. Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized as a testimony of your faith. (Invented Version)

3. Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, Repent and be baptized as an act of obedience. (Fantasy Translation)

4. Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized because you were forgiven the minute you believed. (The Version of Unfounded Truth)

5. Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized with Holy Spirit baptism; because water baptism is not a New Covenant requirement. (The Version of Spurious and Erroneous Quotes)

6. Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, "Repent, for the forgiveness of sins; but water baptism is optional, because the thief on the cross was not baptized in water. (The Counterfeit Version of Truth)

7. Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, "Rent and be baptized in order to join denomination of your choice. (The Creed Bible By Men)

8. Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized as a symbolic jester, pointing to the fact that your sins were forgiven when you said "The Sinner's Prayer." ( The Book of Stuff Men made-up)

9. Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized to indicate the outward sign of the forgiveness you received the very minute you believed. ( The Fabricated Book of Fantasy Verses)

10. Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, "Repent and have your committed sins forgiven by faith only. And then be baptized to be forgiven of the sin Adam committed. (The Denominational Revision of Fictional Truth)

.

THE QUESTION IS WHY DO CERTAIN DENOMINATIONAL CHURCHES FICTIONALIZE BIBLICAL TRUTH? THE BIGGER QUESTION IS WHY DO PEOPLE BELIEVE FICTIONALIZED DOCTRINE RATHER THAN BIBLICAL TRUTH?

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Solid Rock or Sinking Sand said...

Steve - Thank you for posting your personal belief's regarding water baptism. Before you tell me how un-biblical my beliefs are, please read my sidebar on "Baptism and Acts 2:38" I find it truly hard to understand how a person can construe, after studying all of the scriptures dealing with salvation, that water baptism is required to be saved. Please read and pray my brother. God bless, Lloyd