Baptism Study Part 2

Baptism Study – Part 3

I. Summary Review from Weeks 1 and 2: 1. Water baptism was not a new concept at the time of John. 2. From the time John the Baptist began his ministry (and even after Pentecost), it was made known that there were two (and only two) forms of baptism – a. John’s baptism in water b. Jesus’ baptism in the Holy Spirit 3. These two forms of baptism were separate phenomenon - occurring on occasion at separate times and in different orders 4. Same Greek word used throughout the New Testament for both “baptism” in water and “baptism” in the Holy Spirit 5. Terms and Phrases synonymous for “baptism in the Holy Spirit” a. “baptized in the Holy Spirit” b. “filled with the Holy Spirit” c. “pour out in those days of my Spirit” d. “receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” e. “poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost” f. “received the Holy Ghost” g. “the Holy Spirit fell on them” h. “baptized with the Holy Spirit” i. “the same gift” j. “Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive” k. “the Holy Ghost was not yet given” 6. Water Baptism was performed AFTER the day of Pentecost but it was still considered the Baptism of John the Baptist and NOT a new form of water baptism - they simply added the formal practice of using Jesus' name to the existing procedure. 7. Only one form of Baptism was essential to salvation.

II. Week 3: (Which form of baptism is essential to salvation?) 1. Preview: i. Would the apostles have understood Jesus’ command to baptize in the Great Commission to refer to baptism in the Holy Spirit or baptism in water? ii. Was Paul ever baptized in water? iii. Dispelling the 3 most-common arguments for the necessity of water baptism 1. The Apostles continued the practice of water baptism after Pentecost 2. insistence on water baptism for groups already baptized in the Holy Spirit 3. individuals were considered believers after receiving water baptism but before they received the Holy Spirit 2. Issue 1: Would the apostles have understood Jesus' command to baptize given in Matthew 28 and Mark 16 to refer to baptism in the Holy Spirit?

1 i. NOTES: 1. Remember, from the very onset of John the Baptist's ministry, the same Greek word for "baptism" was being used to describe both baptism with water AND baptism in the Holy Spirit. So, the disciples would have heard the term "baptism" at least one time already from John the Baptist used to described the baptism in the Holy Spirit Jesus would bring. We must keep this in mind when we examine the Great Commission to see which form of baptism it is indicating. 2. Central question: Is the Great Commission referring to the baptism Jesus’ would bring or the one John the Baptist had already brought? ii. Matthew 28:19-20 1. "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" a. here we see the much anticipated baptism that Jesus would bring just as predicted by John the Baptist - so, having heard what John the Baptist said about the baptism Christ Jesus would bring, what do you think the apostles understood it would be in, water or the Holy Spirit? 2. Side Note: Notice verse 20, the apostles were commanded in verse 19 to "teach and baptize all nations" and in verse 20 Jesus tells them to teach those who are converted to "observe ALL things he has commanded them." a. This means that Jesus defined a convert, a disciple in terms of those who were learning ALL the things he had taught the apostles - which is what disciple means, a pupil or student, not just a believer iii. Mark 16:16-20 1. "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." a. Here again, as we established last week, one form of baptism is essential/necessary to salvation b. And once again, we must refer back to the last scriptural account of teaching the apostles had about the baptism Jesus would bring - and that last account is the statement of John the Baptist - c. so now that Jesus' form of baptism so much anticipated by John has finally arrived, what do you think the apostles understood it would be in, water (John’s baptism) or the Holy Spirit (Jesus’ baptism)? (Refers back to our Central Question.)

2 iv. Note: Neither Matthew 28 nor Mark 16 specifically clarifies which baptism Jesus meant in the immediate context v. Acts 1:4-9 1. just as in Matthew 28 and Mark 16, this passage in Acts 1 gives an account of the things Jesus taught his disciples in the days between his resurrection and his ascension into heaven 2. Acts 1 is a PARALLEL account to Matthew 28 and Mark 16 - only it is much more detailed in regard to the baptism component of the Great Commission 3. Notice the similarities: a. Jesus is about to ascend to heaven b. He gives the apostles instructions on preaching from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth c. he speaks of miracle working power coming on them to aid their testimony as witnesses just as recorded in Mark 16:19-20 d. Jesus speaks to them about baptism, reiterating the very words of John the Baptist regarding the kind of baptism Jesus would bring e. this is in the very same timeframe and describing the very same events as Matthew 28 and Mark 16 f. the apostles would have definitely understood the command to baptize in the Great Commission to be baptism in the Holy Spirit, the baptism both John the Baptist and Jesus Christ himself associated with Jesus Christ 4. Conclusion: Acts 1:4-9 confirms our conclusion from Matthew 28 and Mark 16, that in the Great Commission Jesus’ is using baptism to refer to the baptism in the Holy Spirit that he was expected to bring and not the baptism in water that John had already brought. 3. Issue 2: Was Paul ever baptized in water? i. Acts 9:17-20 - Biblical record of the completion of Paul's conversion experience 1. No mention of water anywhere in this passage 2. Baptism mentioned but no mention of which kind 3. So, how do we know which? a. Ananias states in verse 17 that he is there to do 2 things: i. for Paul to receive his sight ii. for Paul to receive the Holy Spirit iii. NOTE: Remember "receive the Holy Spirit" is a New Testament synonym for baptism in the Holy Spirit as we covered in week 1

3 b. Immediately after Ananias says this in verse 17, 2 things happen in verse 18 i. first, scales fall from Paul's eyes and he could see ii. second, Paul arose and was baptized iii. these are the two things Ananias just said he was there to do c. Conclusion of Acts 9: from the immediate context we must assume Paul's baptism here was a baptism in the Holy Spirit and not a water baptism ii. Acts 22:11-16 1. Paul is recounting the conversion experience with Ananias recorded in Acts 9 2. The only new element is the inclusion of the phrase "wash away your sins" as part of Ananias' statement to Paul 3. the presumption is that the mere mention of the word "wash" implies water and therefore water baptism and that "wash" would exclude baptism in the Holy Spirit from being possibility 4. So, all we have to do is show that "wash" doesn't exclude baptism in the Holy Spirit and if we can do that then Acts 22 will change nothing about our interpretation of Acts 9 and we will be forced to accept our previous conclusion based upon the context of Acts 9 5. The use of the word “wash” wouldn’t necessarily indicate water baptism over baptism in the Holy Spirit because baptism in the Holy Spirit is often described metaphorically with terms associated with fluids (such as pouring out, rivers of living water, etc.). 6. The key is the Greek word for washed found in Acts 22:16. It is defined below: 628 apolouo {ap-ol-oo'-o} from 575 and 3068; TDNT - 4:295,538; v AV - wash away 1, wash 1; 2 1) to wash off or away 7. This Greek word only appears 1 other time in the New Testament a. 1 Corinthians 6:11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. b. "by" is the Greek word "en" and it is the same word translated "with" or "in" in "baptize with the Holy Spirit" in all the following passages i. Matthew 3:11 - John the Baptist ii. Mark 1:8 - John the Baptist

4 iii. Luke 3:16 - John the Baptist iv. John 1:26,33 - John the Baptist v. Acts 1:5,8 - Jesus (quoting John the Bapist) vi. Acts 11:14-18 - Peter (quoting Jesus) vii. 1 Corinthians 6:11 - Paul viii. 1 Corinthians 12:13 – Paul 8. Conclusion: a. We know from Paul's later writing in 1 Corinthians 6:11 that Paul used this same Greek word "wash" only one other time and he used it to refer to baptism in the Holy Spirit b. and given his status as an unbelieving Pharisee until well after Pentecost, it is unlikely that Paul was ever baptized in water by John the Baptist c. The only record of Paul ever being baptized in the Bible is baptism is the Holy Spirit - we have no biblical record of Paul ever being water baptized d. If Paul was never water baptized as the evidence suggests, but only baptized in the Holy Spirit this further supports the necessity of baptism in the Holy Spirit (and not water baptism) for salvation. 4. Issue 3: Dispelling the 3 most-common arguments for the necessity of water baptism i. What are the 3 most-common arguments for the necessity of water baptism? 1. The Apostles continued the practice of water baptism after Pentecost 2. insistence on water baptism for groups already baptized in the Holy Spirit 3. individuals were considered believers after receiving water baptism but before they received the Holy Spirit ii. The Apostles continued the practice of water baptism after Pentecost (Acts 8:12-17, 8:36-38, and 10:47-48) 1. Implication: Why would the apostles continue the practice of water baptism unless they understood it to be Jesus' command to do so in the Great Commission? 2. Refutation: The Apostles continued the practice of baptism in the Holy Spirit after Pentecost also. (Acts 2:38, 8:15-17, 9:17, 19:1-7) iii. The Apostles insisted on water baptizing someone after they were baptized in the Holy Spirit (occurs only 1 time - Acts 10:44-48) 1. Implication: Why would the apostles insist on water baptism if it wasn't necessary for salvation? 2. Refutation: The apostles also insisted on Baptizing in the Holy Spirit after someone had been water baptized. (Acts 8:12-17 and Acts 19:1-7)

5 iv. There are instances where individuals are considered believers after receiving water baptism but before they received baptism in the Holy Spirit. (Acts 19:1-7) 1. Implication: How can baptism in the Holy Spirit be considered necessary for salvation if people were considered believers before they were baptized in the Holy Spirit? 2. Refutation: a. Individuals were considered believers after receiving baptism in the Holy Spirit but before they received baptism with water (Acts 10:44-48, Acts 11:15-18, and Acts 15:7-9. Plus, Mark 16:16-20 and 1 Corinthians 12:13.) i. we know these Gentiles were believers and saved before they were water baptized because: 1. they were speaking in tongues which is something saved believers do according to Mark 16:16-20 2. they couldn't speak in tongues without being baptized in the Holy Spirit - and baptism in the Holy Spirit meant they were members of the body of Christ according to 1 Corinthians 12:13 3. In Peter's recounting of the event in Acts 11 and 15, Peter testifies: a. that these Gentiles believed in the same way the apostles did on the day of Pentecost b. that these Gentiles were recognized as recipients of the gift of "repentance unto life" b. The scripture passage (Acts 19:1-7) that is used to establish this Premise is riddled with holes. i. Paul doesn't actually call these 12 men “saved” or "born again," he asks them "what baptism they received when they believed?" ii. These men did not even know “whether there be any Holy Ghost” - so how could they be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? and how could they be baptized in water after the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost? And how could they be saved?

6 iii. Paul's words in verse 2-3 indicate clearly that he presumed believers would be baptized in the Holy Spirit upon belief - They say, "we didn't know there even was a Holy Spirit" and Paul says "Then what were you baptized into?" iv. Conclusion: Though these men had received John's baptism with water, it is difficult to consider them saved or reborn because they didn't even know “whether there be any Holy Ghost” v. Conclusion: Every one of these 3 statements that can be made concerning water baptism in a post-Pentecostal setting can also be made of baptism in the Holy Spirit - thus they prove nothing

III. Preview of Next Week 1. New Testament Survey of Baptisms 2. The Catch 22: The Baptism of Crispus and 1 Corinthians 1 3. Brief Survey of Baptism in the Ante-Nicene Church writers