I'm intensely skeptical of this "no water baptism" concept. The logic fails in that "Jesus fulfilled something so it means we don't need to do it anymore" doesn't work at all, and you end up with no moral landmarks for being and living as a new creature, our only guidepost is Jesus. I think the simple "do as Christ did" and "follow in Christ's footsteps" should be all the proof one needs for water baptism and every other thing that Jesus did and Christians are to do. The article does not touch every positive proof of water baptism, I'm not sure it even touches any. The story of Phillip and the Eunuch isn't mentioned. I will concede that spirit baptism is the only necessary and "practical" baptism, but that does not eliminate water baptism or make it evil. I believe separating water baptism and spirit baptism is also unnecessary, I don't see any difference between the two. The water part is simply supposed to be a personal experience of death to self and new life in Christ, sometimes witnessed by other people, and not always required under extenuating circumstances. The call to ignore water baptism is uncalled for, there is no biblical reason NOT to baptize people by submersion. If it were in the same class as circumcision, I would expect the same amount of negative discourse on the subject. Just the fact that the article so terribly misrepresents Paul is incredibly suspect.
1 Corinthians 1:13
13Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? 14I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius; 15Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name. 16And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other. 17For 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.
Paul is indicating that he did indeed baptize new believers, but that he is grateful that he did not baptize very many because he did not want people to think that he was doing all this work for his own gain or in his own name. Paul also provided his own money to support his own work for a similar reason. He was going out into new territory full of people who had no direct knowledge of Christ, and he labored intensively to make sure they did not get the wrong impression. However, he did say that other laborers in the gospel should receive church funds for support. Paul was the tip of the spear, spreading the word. He left most of the baptizing to others, but he does state that he did baptize some.
Catholic tradition has nothing to do with water baptism and I would say that it is definitely in error according to the scriptures, even in the context of water baptism. Implying "Catholics added the words" opens all kinds of other theological problems which there is no reason for. Catholics don't even follow the biblical standard of water baptism at all. As someone pointed out, the concept of water baptism is throughout the bible and in Jewish tradition, at worst, baptism is Jewish, not catholic.
John 3:5
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.
John 14:12
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
Deception and cults give you heresies and you accept them.
Those who REJECT heresies and OBEY what God said in the HOLY Bible are the TRUE believers...Tares are among them....Jesus said that they will be among us until the Judgement Day.
Come Lord Jesus and JUDGE people for their heresies. Amen.
Those who change what God said in the Bible do NOT inherit the Kingdom of God!
Our God Jesus WARNED us about that in the Bible.
18 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; 19and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book. 20He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming quickly." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus Revelation 22
Baptism is one of the MAIN concepts of Christianity.
But WHY?
Because our God Jesus commanded us:
�Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.� Matthew 28:19
Those who OBEY our God Jesus are believers BORN of God. Those who disobey are NOT the sons of God and their father is devil. 1 John 3
Water Baptism identifies the believer with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection.
�When you came to Christ, you were "circumcised," but not by a physical procedure. It was a spiritual procedure--the cutting away of your sinful nature. For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to a new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.� Colossians 2:11-12
�We were therefore BURIED with Him (JESUS) through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a NEW life.� Romans 6:4
Water Baptism is an act of obedience for the believer. It should be preceded by repentance when we ABANDON sins!
"Peter replied, 'Each of you must turn from your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.' Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church--about three thousand in all.� Acts 2:38, 41
�And this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also � not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.� I Peter 3:21
�But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.� I Corinthians 6:11
Christianity is OBEDIENCE to the words/commands of God!
The sons of disobedience will perish with their father devil.
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.
"In the above verse, Jesus is talking about being born physically of a woman which is the first birth(not water baptism)."
Are you sure? I don't think that is a very accurate interpretation of the verse. So you're saying that the verse above means that a man must simply be alive, and baptized by the spirit, to enter the kingdom of God? That's kind of stating the obvious, isn't it?
"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 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? 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."
It looks to me that Jesus is talking about being born again. Nicodemus relates it to physical birth(like you have done), and Jesus reiterates his point about being born AGAIN, by water and the spirit.
"Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."
I just read an interesting analysis which I've pasted below from here: http://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/a/4870 There are other answers there to the question 'What does it mean to be �born of water�?'
"Context is the key to interpretation. You�ve heard the mantra in real-estate, �location, location, location.� Well in interpretation its, �context, context, context.� The location of a verse matters in its interpretation.
Think of the word �hand,� for instance. What does it mean? Without context �hand� could have quite a few meanings.
the hired hand fixed the railing
his hand was illegible
he wanted to try his hand at singing
I didn�t hold a good hand all evening
The hands read 3:25
give the little lady a great big hand
hand me the spoon, please
we can see the words meaning more clearly in context.
The Immediate Context
The phrase "born of water and Spirit" appears in Jesus� night time conversation with Nicodimus. In John 3:3, Jesus says,
I tell you the truth, no one can see the Kingdom of God unless he is born again.
Nicodimus is dumbfounded
How can a man be born when he is old�surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother�s womb to be born!
Jesus then rephrases his earlier statement
I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of god unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
The contrast between flesh and spirit in the last verse would seem to indicate that water stands for natural birth.
Beyond the Chapter
But there�s an even broader context to John 3:5 that others pick up on. Two chapters earlier, in John 1:32-33, John the baptist testifies,
I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a a dove and remain on him. I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, �the man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.�
Here water and Spirit are linked in the Baptist�s ministry and testimony. John baptizes with water but Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit. If John 3:5 is linked to this verse, water could refer to baptism (or repentance which John�s baptism is often said to represent).
A Look to the Whole Book
But there�s still a greater context which defines the meaning of water. Water isn�t simply mentioned in these two scenes. It's used everywhere in John as a metaphor and a symbol.
John says three times that he baptizes in water (1:26, 31, 33)
Jesus turns water into wine (2:1-10)
Jesus says we must be born of water and the spirit (3:5)
John baptizes at Aenon near Salim because �there was much water there.� (3:23)
Jesus promises the woman by the well living water (4:4-28)
The lame man wants to get healed in the troubled waters of Bethesda (5:7)
Jesus walks on water (6:19)
Jesus invites the thirsty to come to him and drink (7:37-39)
Jesus heals blind man in pool of Siloam (9:6-7)
Jesus washes his disciples feet (13:4-5)
Water flows from Jesus' side (19:34)
With the exception of John�s baptism and Jesus walk on water, these references do not appear in Matthew, Mark or Luke. They are entirely unique to John.
Each of these scenes plays a crucial role in revealing the water�s intended meaning. John develops this meaning early in his gospel, contrasting water that is used in ritual and tradition with a higher, heavenly water offered in Jesus.
John the Baptist�s Testimony (1:19-34): John says Jesus' baptism in the Holy Spirit surpasses his baptism in water. Water here is the medium of a traditional ritual of purification. But Jesus' in a comparative and a contrasting sense baptizes with the Holy Spirit (i.e water from above).
Jesus Wedding Miracle (2:1-11): Jesus� �water-turned-wine� is better than the choice wine/water which came before. The water which becomes wine is drawn from containers used for ritual purification. Though Jesus could presumably have reused the empty wine jars, he instead has the servants fill six waterpots which John says were �set there for the Jewish custom of purification.� Jesus surpasses this ritual water by transforming it into wine (spirit water) which the headwaiter testifies surpasses the wine that came before.
Jesus Conversation by the Well (4:4-26): Jesus� living water is greater than Jacob's well. The well itself is a traditional site analogous to the Samaritan�s worship on the mountain. The woman points to the greatness of the well by pointing to �father� Jacob as the source and user of the water. The word �father� is again used when the topic of conversation moves from well to worship. Just as �father� Jacob gave the well, the Samaritan �fathers� had given them worship on the mountain. When Jesus offers the woman living water she responds by asking if he is �greater� than Jacob who gave them the well. Jesus indicates that it is by contrasting the limitations of the well water with the never-ending life-giving water he supplies. His water is "Spirit" like the true worship God seeks.
His Healing by the Pool of Bethesda (5:1-9): Jesus� healing is greater than the troubled water in the pool of Bethesda. Once again the waters of Bethesda are linked with tradition. While the tradition mentioned in 5:3 may not be original to John, it appears to be in line with John's repeated use of water. While the man looks to the traditional water to heal him, he is powerless to reach it. Because Jesus reaches the man at his need, His power is revealed to be greater than the stirred water�s of the pool.
Jesus� Invitation to Drink (7:37-39): Jesus' �living water� is greater than the feasts water ceremony. Jesus invitation occurs on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles. On this day the High Priest poured water out in the temple as a symbol of the later day river that would flow from the temple (Ez. 47:1-12; Zech. 14:8). Jesus� invitation and reference indicates that he is the scriptures true fulfillment. The water here is explicitly connected with the Holy Spirit (John 7:39).
The cumulative effect of these scenes indicates that there's more than one meaning given to water. Sometimes water is simply a clear physical liquid used for washing, drinking etc. However when associated with Christ, water signifies the Spirit (i.e. "living-water or water from above).
A contrast between two waters (higher and lower) fits within John's narrative's dualism. Many of John's metaphors and symbols have natural polarity. For instance John employees the imagery of light and darkness, life and death, above and below, true and false. Each refers to a separation between tangible world in which we live and the intangible realm of the Spirit. Because it's immaterial, the world �above� is separate from the world �below." For instance in John 3:12, Christ distinguishes between �earthly things� and �heavenly things� and in 8:23 He separates Himself from His opponents, stating, �You are from below I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world.� The higher world represents an intangible reality which man cannot perceive. The prologue asserts �No one has seen God at any time� (1:18). Yet, it also goes on to equally claim that Jesus� physical presence �explained� or �made known� the invisible God (1:14, 18).
Through metaphors and symbols, John constructs a ladder of understanding from the lower physical world to the higher world of the Spirit. A symbol, according to ordinary sense, is �that which represents something else by virtue of an analogical relationship.� H. Levin describes it simply as �a connecting link between two different spheres.� The symbol, �points beyond itself�, and in someway �embodies that which it represents.� Thus, John takes tangible images and infuses them with a higher connotation in order to define the imperceptible world of God.
Water function within this dualism.
Reading John 3:5 in light of its context
Returning to John 3:5 we can see how this repeated contrast between two different waters fits into the phrase "born of water and the Spirit."
Most interpretations hold that water and Spirit exist as two distinct elements in the process of rebirth. The English word �and� implies two distinct things. This would certainly fit the apparent contrast between the lower water and the Spirit (higher water) in the scenes outlined above. But these scenes also make a comparison between water and Spirit and unlike the English translation, the Greek may suggest that water and Spirit are one thing and not two. C.H. Talbert states,
The construction in Greek is that of two terms joined by �and� (kai) and governed by one preposition. This Greek construction normally points to one act: e.g., Titus 3:5. If two acts were involved, normally two prepositions would occur.
Though Talbert appears confident in this translation, J. Ramsey Michaels counters with a more moderate approach. He states,
The fact that both are governed by a single preposition in Greek suggests that they are one. Yet in 1 John 5:6, the same sort of construction is immediately followed by a singling out of each element with its own preposition and definite article. The decision must therefore be made on other than grammatical grounds.
Given room to maneuver, immediate context points to water symbolizing the Spirit. �Born of water and Spirit� occurs as a reiteration of John 3:3�s phrase �born again�. The word, �again� possess two meanings. Though Nicodemus translates the word as �a second time,� the word also means �from above.� It is this later interpretation, which Jesus seems to intend. Thus Jesus, in John 3:3 and 3:5, speaks of one birth from above. According to the freedom granted by both grammar and context, Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must be �born of water from above, which is the Holy Spirit.�
11I 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:
13Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. 14But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? 15And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.
Acts 2
38 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.
1 Peter 3
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.
21 The 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:
1 Corinthians 10
10 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
Acts 9
17And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. 18And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.
Acts 22
13 Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him.
14 And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.
15 For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.
16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
Acts 8:36-39
36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.
39 And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.
Acts 10
44While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. 45And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. 46For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, 47Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? 48And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.
Titus 3:5
5Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
1 Corinthians 6
9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
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.
Acts 16
13 And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither.
14 And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.
15 And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.
There are many examples there of baptism by spirit and baptism by water, sometimes even spirit first, just like Jesus said: "by water and the spirit". The apostles used the example of the cloud and the sea from Noah's day and during the Exodus as examples of the same thing. There are absolutely no verses condemning water baptism, even in the slightest. The apostles condemned placing the old law on anyone, circumcision and ceremonial laws were roundly condemned, yet they continued baptizing, with absolutely no mention of refraining from baptism. If anyone chooses to believe that water baptism is done away with, then that's fine, but be careful what you teach to others, make sure you're right, because you will be responsible for it. Jesus came to fulfill what the law truly taught, what the jews and pharisees missed/forgot. Jesus came as the truth, to show us what it was like, and called us to follow Him. Where does Jesus condemn water baptism? His apostles? No commands from God/Jesus/Apostles to stop water baptism? Then why are we trying to condemn water baptism?
"And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness."
"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled."
