"Doctrine of Baptisms"

Hebrews 6:1-3, "Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit."

Listed here in the "Doctrines of Christ" is the "Doctrine of Baptisms", plural. In the New Testament there are several "baptisms". For the purpose of this study we will look at only three of them. Water, Name and Holy Spirit. Look closely at how the scriptures deal with them differently.

Water Baptism or "Baptism unto Repentance"

Matthew 3:11-12, "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

Mark 1:4, "John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins."

Mark 1:8, "I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost."

Luke 3:16, "John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:"

John 1:26-31, "John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose. These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water."

John 1:33, "And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost."

Mark 1:5, "And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins."

Luke 7:28-29, "For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John."

Again water baptism is referred to as the "Baptism of John" and not the "Baptism into Christ"

Luke 12:49-51, "I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled? But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished! Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:"

Jesus is not referring to water or Holy Spirit baptism.

John 3:22-31, "After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized. And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized. For John was not yet cast into prison. Then there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying. And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him. John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease."

John 4:2, " (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples)"

ISV(Joh 4:2) although it was not Jesus who did the baptizing but his disciples-

Remember this is before the "CROSS" and "SALVATION" does not take effect before the CROSS. Water is only a witness of a person's desire to repent in preparation to receive the Savior (Salvation).

Mat 3:13-14 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

Again John was looking for a different baptism than the one he was doing (water baptism). He was looking to receive The Holy Spirit Baptism.

Mat 3:15-16 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. (16) And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

Jesus does not need to be "SAVED" so this baptism cannot be misconstrued as an act of "SALVATION" on his part. Again all this is before the CROSS.

1 Corinthians 1:13-18, "Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius; Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name. And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other. 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. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God."

Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Paul states it is not water baptism that saves but believing is.

Baptism into the Name of Jesus

The Day of Pentacost:

Acts 2:36-38, "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."

Acts 2:41, "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls."

In this verse it says that they were baptized when they "received the word" not when they were dunked in water. Point of note: There was no river in Jerusalem. To believe that these 3000 people were immersed in water is to concoct a scenario where all of them had to stay together and travel on foot a great distance. At 30 seconds a person (not including travel time) it would take 25 hours to baptize in water 3000 people. Add to that travel time and you see the problem. There was no convoy of shuttle buses waiting in the parking lot. Water baptism becomes untenable if one looks at the facts.

Acts 8:12, "But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women."

Here when they believed in Jesus, they were baptized. No water here.

Acts 8:14-18, "Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money,"

Here the people had "received the word of God" (Jesus is the word of God) and were baptized into Christ. No "Holy Spirit Baptism" yet and of course no water baptism mentioned.

Acts 16:28-33, "But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway (3916)."

Paul and Silas's wounds were washed at the jailers house. The jailer and his family were told about Jesus and he and his family were "Instantly Baptized" (Strong's # 3916)

Acts 18:7-8, "And he departed thence, and entered into a certain man's house, named Justus, one that worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue. And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized."

Again baptized upon hearing.

Act 22:16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

Here again baptism comes by " calling on the name of the Lord" not water.

Mark 16:15-17, "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;"

"In my name" - Another point of understanding: In all these scriptures were the word "name" is used it is important to understand that this word means "authority". If we think that invoking the name "Jesus" is where there is some kind of mystical power we have a big problem. Christ name is not and never has been "Jesus". It has always been and will always be "Yashuah" or "Yeshua" and as properly translated to English "Joshua". So any good we think we may be accomplishing with statements beginning or ending with "in Jesus' name" avails nothing. The seven sons of Sceva tried that in: Act 19:13 Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. Act 19:15-16 And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? (16) And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. and it didn't work for them either. Jesus or better Joshua means "The salvation of God" but his authority is "God with us" or "Emmanuel". Mat 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. Go back if you will and replace the word "name" with "authority" and see how much more sense the scriptures make. For more on this Click Here

Romans 6:3, "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?"

Galatians 3:27, "For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ."

We are baptized into Christ and that is what we are immersed into. We are in Him, hidden in Christ, cleansed in his blood. Christ in us and us in him.

"Baptism in the Holy Ghost"

Joh 7:39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

As in Salvation the Holy Spirit Baptism was not available until Christ ascended to sit at the right hand of God. The price for our salvation was paid at the cross.

Acts 1:4-6, "And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence."

Act 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of

Acts 11:12-17, " And the Spirit bade me go with them, nothing doubting. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered into the man's house: And he shewed us how he had seen an angel in his house, which stood and said unto him, Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter; Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved. And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning. Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God?"

 

All three Baptisms in one set of scriptures and all portrayed as separate events.

Act 18:24-25 And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. (25) This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.

In Ephesus Apollos taught and instructed his following according to what he learned from those who were followers of John the Baptist if not by John himself. It is clear that water baptism is what he taught and practiced. While Apollos was on a ministry trip in Corinth Paul visits Ephesus to visit Apollos' disciples.

Act 19:1-7 And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, (2) He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. (3) And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism. (4) Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. (5) When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. (6) And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. (7) And all the men were about twelve.

The first thing Paul does is question them to find out what they already know. As soon as they tell him they have only been water baptized he knows that they are not "born again". He tells them that the Christ has come and he is Yeshua. That is what they have been waiting for and immediately are baptized into Christ. They don't get water baptized again they have already done that and repented. Once they are baptized into Christ now they are eligible to receive the Baptism in the Holy Ghost and when Paul lays hands on them they get it. All three baptisms, separate and clear. Many who claim that when you receive Christ you receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit at the same time. Nowhere do the scriptures say that. They claim it is in Ephesians 1:12-14, but this scene in Acts 19 is what Paul is speaking of in Ephesians 1:12-14 and it is clearly separate.

1 Corinthians 12:12-14, "For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. 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. For the body is not one member, but many"

We that believe are all baptized into one body, Christ's. We are baptized into Christ by the Holy Spirit. We are then baptized into the Holy Spirit by Christ. Water baptism is only a witness to our repentance and not the only witness that can fulfil that role. 1Jo 5:8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. If we are "born again" the blood of Christ is our witness and the Holy Spirit is there doing it. Only two are needed to establish the truth of our belief in Christ. 2Co 13:1 ….. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. Mat 18:16…., that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.