REAL BAPTISM RELIGIOUS RITUAL OR SPIRITUAL REALITY? Charles F. Baker President Emeritus, Grace Bible College Grace Publications, Inc. Grand Rapids, Michigan Real Baptism: Religious Ritual or Spiritual Reality, by Charles F. Baker, copyright © 1991 by Grace Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles or reviews. Second Edition, 1991 Editing and Format, Timothy F. Conklin Third Edition, 1994 Editing and Format, Roger G. Anderson ISBN 0-89814-045-5 Printed in the United States of America 2 CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 FORWARD CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 4 CHAPTER 2 CHRIST BAPTIZING WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT 36 CHAPTER 3 THE HOLY SPIRIT BAPTIZING INTO THE BODY OF 41 CHRIST CHAPTER 4 FIGURATIVE BAPTISMS 48 CHAPTER 5 THE DIVERS BAPTISMS OF THE LAW 54 CHAPTER 6 PENTECOSTAL WATER BAPTISM 58 CHAPTER 7 CONFLICTING INTERPRETATIONS ABOUT 64 BAPTISM CHAPTER 8 THE MODE OF BAPTISM 69 CHAPTER 9 WHY DID PAUL BAPTIZE? 74 CHAPTER 10 SUMMARY 80 APENDIX FIGURATIVE USE OF WATER 85 3 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Most books which have been written on the subject of baptism have been occupied entirely with trying to prove a certain mode of baptism, and writers from all denominations seem to have been successful in finding quotations from the fathers of church history to substantiate their varied and contradictory practices. Church history is important and Christians should be familiar with it, but it should never be permitted to become the authority for our belief or practice. The more familiar one becomes with the subject, the more evident it becomes that the Church in its historical development has strayed far from God's Word, which Protestants as a whole profess to be their sole basis of faith and practice. A need has often been expressed for a study on baptism which would deal with every reference to the subject in the Bible. Such a treatise would enable the average Christian to study with understanding and to come to his own conclusions on this subject which has been so highly controversial and divisive within the professing church. Sincere Christians when confronted by such a problem will always ask with Paul, "What saith the Scriptures?" This present work on baptism is an endeavor to answer that question. It has been entitled Real Baptism. Theologians refer to spiritual baptism as real to distinguish it from ritual or water baptism. Of course, both spiritual and ritual baptism are real in their particular spheres, but the spiritual is more real in that it is wrought by God and is enduring; whereas the ritual is done by man and is not only temporary in nature, but may not in itself accomplish anything whatsoever. In the words of Paul: ...we look not at things which are seen [the physical], but at things which are not seen [the spiritual]; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal (2 Cor. 4:18). This title has been chosen, not because the subject of ritual baptism has been omitted, but because the great majority of professing Christians know nothing but the ritual and seem to be completely ignorant of the existence of the real. It is to be hoped that the title may serve to awaken some such folk to see their need for God's reality; for it is evident from the Scripture that only real baptism can make one a member of the Church which is Christ's body. If one has ritual baptism and does not have the real, he is not saved. And if one has the real baptism which has put him into Christ and has made him a joint-sharer of all that is Christ's, the question naturally arises, what need is there after that for the ritual? 4 METHOD OF TREATMENT In the pages that follow, every one of the 106 references to baptism in the Bible will be taken up under logical headings, so that whether or not you agree with the conclusions of the writer, you will have brought to your attention all that the Bible has to say about this subject. Englishman's Greek Concordance has been used as a basis for checking all references and these have been cross- checked by William Greenfield's abridgment of the concordance of Schmidt, published by Samuel Bagster & Sons, Limited. You can therefore be reasonably sure that the biblical list of references is complete and exhaustive. There are five different words in the Greek New Testament which come from the same root, and which will be the basis for this study. In this first lesson we will give a complete concordance of each word with a brief comment on the meaning of the words. First, BAPTO -- This is a verb which is used three times in the New Testament and is always translated "dip." It never has reference to either real or ritual baptism, but it is here mentioned because it belongs to the same family as the baptism words. It was used especially in reference to dipping a cloth into a dye. References: Luke 16:24; John 13:26; Revelation 19:13. Second, BAPTISTES -- In Greek nouns the suffix TES (long E as in prey) indicates the agent performing the action. It is the epithet used of the forerunner of Christ, John the Baptist. It is used fourteen times and in all cases refers to John. Since the word has no doctrinal bearing, it is not discussed further in the main body of the following chapters. References: Matthew 3:1; 11:11,12; 14:2,8; 16:14; 17:13; Mark 6:24,25; 8:28; Luke 7:20, 28, 33; 9:19. Third, BAPTIZO (pronounced bap-tid'-zo) -- This is the verb meaning to baptize. It is always translated "baptize," except in Luke 11:38, where it is "washed." It is used eighty times in the New Testament. In one of these references (Mark 6:14), the participle form of the verb is used of John: "John the one baptizing." This leaves seventy-nine occurrences of the verb, contained in the following sixty-four verses, which will be considered in detail later: Matthew Chapter 3: 6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. 11 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: 13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of 5 him. 14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? 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: Chapter 20: 22 But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able. 23 And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father. Chapter 28: 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Mark Chapter 1: 4 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. 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. 8 I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost. 9 And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. Chapter 7: 4 And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables. Chapter 10: 38 But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? 6 39 And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized: Chapter 16: 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. Luke Chapter 3: 7 Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 12 Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? 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: 21 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, Chapter 7: 29 And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John.